


Lightning

by directionizer



Series: Lightning [1]
Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: F/F, Lightning - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 23:19:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3429230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/directionizer/pseuds/directionizer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"All of my life I've wanted to see lightning, [...]. Lauren, can you show me lightning?"</p>
<p>Camila Cabello is a beautiful girl who was born blind, and has always hated receiving assistance. Lauren Jauregui is another who was born with a knack for taking care of others, with plans to be a nurse in the future. What happens when Lauren files for her first nursing job? Will Lauren change Camila's life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_In the beginning, there was a huge storm, formed by two parts. There is the thunder, which is the inner beauty of the storm that often tends to either frighten or calm people. Then there is the lighting, the outer beauty of the storm, which some people say is one of the most wonderful things in nature. Other people find it, well... shocking. What good is a storm if it doesn't have both? What good is thunder without lightning? And what good is lightning without thunder? Just like a storm, every good love story consists of two people who so desperately need each other, even though they never see it coming. This is the story of the creation of a brand new storm, how the thunder met the lightning, and how Camila met Lauren._

************************************************

       When Lauren first entered Mr. Holland's employment office, she took in the décor of the room that surrounded her. Everything was either a nice shade of turquoise or a light shade of grey. The furniture and artwork that he had chosen for this room had reminded Lauren of the 60's, which suited her taste exquisitely. Mr. Holland's secretary sat at a fancy, light grey desk filing her nails without acknowledging that she had even entered. 

        "Hello, how may I help you?" the secretary questioned Lauren, without even looking up at her.

        "My name is Lauren Jauregui, and I'm here for an appointment with Mr. Holland." she replied with a wide smile.

        The secretary perked her head up with a smile, and pointed to the double doors on her right with her nail file. "Oh, Lauren! Go right on in through the doors there! Mr. Holland is dying to meet you." 

        "Thank you," Lauren said, as she made her way though the black doors.

        In the large office, she noticed that pretty much all of the décor was either black or grey. Everything was really dark in this room, and the only thing that really stuck out was Mr. Holland's bright, white hair. Lauren began to think that he purposely did it this way. Despite this, the room was still very beautiful and there was plenty of light getting let in through the large windows behind him.

        At the center of the room was a round table with two chairs. One of the chairs was already occupied, and Lauren knew the seat was meant for her. She politely waited for him to acknowledge her presence so he could motion for her to sit down.

        Soon enough, Mr. Holland looked up from his laptop and said, "Welcome, Lauren. Please sit."

        Lauren did as she was told, and occupied the seat across from him. She remained quiet until he finally spoke to her after getting his papers together for the appointment.

        "Lauren, how are you?" he asked with a smile.

        "I'm fine, thank you. How are you, Mr. Holland?" she also asked him, returning the same smile.

        "I'm doing excellent." he paused. "So here's the deal. I have only found one nursing job in the area, but it might be, well, difficult."

        "How so?" she asked with a confused look.

        "Well, let's just say that we've had five nurses quit this job in this past week because the patient is kind of, well, hard to manage. The patient is a blind, 25 year-old woman and she absolutely hates to be taken care of and insists on doing everything by herself. No matter what any of the past nurses have tried to do, she just doesn't listen. But I see potential in your eyes Lauren. This girl really needs an eye-opener, no pun intended. She needs someone like you to show her that getting a little help won't hurt. Her name is Karla Camila Cabello. Are you, Lauren Jauregui, up for the challenge?" he asked, with a hopeful look in his eyes.

        It gave Lauren a little time to think, but she finally came to the conclusion that she needed a job, and this was one, nevertheless.

        "I'll take it," she said proudly.

        "Okay, I will e-mail the details to you tonight. You'll start your new job tomorrow morning." he replied.

        They both stood up and shook hands to close the deal, then Lauren made her way towards the exit. Before she managed to get out the door, Mr. Holland said, "Be careful of the lightning, Lauren. Don't get struck by the lightning. There's a storm brewing."

        Lauren nodded, and exited the building. When she looked up at the sky and heard the thunder rumbling in the distance, she knew she had to get home quickly.


	2. Chapter One

        Lauren was on her way to Ms. Cabello's house the following morning, and all she could think about was why the past nurses quit so early in their job of taking care of her. She understood that the girl was probably uncooperative, but how bad could she possibly be? After all, Lauren's patient was blind, so she couldn't have been too terrible. 

        According to Mr. Holland, Lauren was best suited for the job because of her past experience with treating and taking care of children with blindness. Lauren's final project in college was to take care of a certain patient over the course of the semester, and have the patient's supervisor grade the student on their job. She ended up getting the highest grade on the project in her class, because the child that Lauren cared for insisted that her life was changed for the better all because of Lauren. The little girl's name was Annabelle, and Lauren often calls her family up to see how she was doing. It was little things like helping a little girl happy that Lauren became a nurse. She wanted no more than to help people and save people's lives. That's what she was in it for.

        She soon found herself pulled up in front of a cute, little house that belonged to her patient. It was a very well-maintained house with freshly cut grass and new paint, so Lauren assumed that Karla must have regularly paid someone to clean up the house for her. 

        Lauren took a deep breath before exiting her 2015 Honda Accord and making her way up to the front door. She pressed the doorbell, and waited nervously for about thirty seconds before the door finally opened to reveal a smaller brown-haired girl with white eyes. Lauren expected the woman to look much more intimidating, but she assumed that her looks were probably deceiving.

        Before she could manage a word, Lauren was interrupted by the girl, "My mother sent you, didn't she?"

        "N-" Lauren was cut off again.

        "Holland?" she asked.

        "Yes." Lauren managed to say. 

        "He warned you, didn't he? About me, I mean."

        "Yes. Does it offend you that he feels that way about you? That you're hard to maintain?" 

        "No." Camila said, sternly. "Now you can either run away like the rest of them, or you can come in. What'll it be?"

        "I'm coming in. I'm not like everyone else." Lauren told her.

        "Very well. Come in." she said, as she held the door wide open for Lauren.

        Lauren entered the house and glanced around at all of the modern furniture and artwork that hung around the house. She was led through the hallway and into the kitchen, which reminded her that she needed to ask about whether her patient had been eating and if she had been doing normal daily tasks such as brushing her teeth and getting dressed into clean clothes. This was information that Lauren needed for her journal that she chose to keep in order to record what she had done. The journal would make things easier for when she went to report back to Mr. Holland.

        "How should I address you? Ms. Cabello? Karla?" Lauren asked.

        "Camila. Just call me Camila. I dislike using my first name, and calling me Ms. Cabello makes me sound old." she answered.

        "Okay, Camila. Have you eaten anything for breakfast? Or anything recently for that matter?" 

        "Yes."

        "What did you have?" 

        "It's none of your business." Camila replied, harshly.

        Lauren so badly wanted to argue against her, telling her that it was very well her business, but she remembered what Mr. Holland had said in his e-mail to her that it was best to let Camila let out some steam every once in a while.

        "Very well. Is there anything that you want me to do?" Lauren asked in a soft tone.

        "Describe me. What do I look like? Since I can't exactly see myself, I'd like to know what you have to say. I've asked people before, but they use words that I can not comprehend, like white and brown. I don't understand colors, because I can't see them. So, do it. Describe me. Or try at least. No one has ever successfully done so." 

        Lauren knew how to do this, because she has done exercises like this with Annabelle in the past. She remembers telling her what she looked like without using colors or shades, and that made Annabelle very happy because she felt like she could actually visualize herself.

        She began, "You're hair is straight. You have blank, yet beautiful eyes. I assume you know what I mean, because you see nothing all the time. That is what I see in your eyes, nothing. That's okay, because it is a beautiful nothing. Your skin is very smooth, and there are no pimples. That is a good thing, because you wouldn't want bumps on your face. You've got plump, thick lips. Your teeth are straight and clean, which is very good. That means that you frequently brush your teeth and have good hygiene."

        Lauren could have sworn that she heard Camila giggle at that remark, but she didn't seem to be in a giggling sort of mood. As Lauren said these descriptive words to Camila, she began to notice that they were true and that she actually did see Camila as attractive. She continued to compliment and help Camila, in attempt to help boost her self-esteem. 

        "You dress very nicely. I love the lace top that you're wearing, and the jeans you are wearing with it. You have an excellent sense of style, Camila. Honestly, you are one of the most attractive people I have ever seen, and I hope that you can visualize yourself as I am visualizing you right now." Lauren explained, with high hopes that she really could see herself.

        A tear rolled down Camila's cheek, and Lauren had yet to indicate whether she had succeeded or failed in describing her. Camila wiped the tear away and sniffled.

        "Are you okay, Camila?" Lauren asked.

        "Yes. I'm fine. It's just, I wish I could see myself even more than I did in the past. Even though you described me better than anyone else in the past, I still can't envision myself. Thank you for trying." Camila paused. "It just dawned upon me that I've never asked your name. What is it?"

        "My name is Lauren Jauregui."

        "How may I address you? Nurse Jauregui?" she asked Lauren.

        Lauren giggled and replied, "You can just call me Lauren."

        "Very well, Lauren. I guess it is nice to meet you. I've decided that I don't hate you."

        "Thank you?" Lauren said, unsure. "Now, may I ask something? Why did all of the other nurses run from you? You aren't scary or anything."

        "My attitude. I hate receiving help on anything that is usually a simple daily task for everyone else. For example, if you ask me if I need help brushing my teeth, I'd probably punch you in the face. That's pretty much what happened to the first nurse. The second one ran off because she asked me if I needed help walking. That was the worst of all. My eyes are broken, not my legs. You understand?" 

        "Yes, Camila." she answered, as she wrote this first memo in her journal.

        "Are you writing this down?" Camila asked.

        "Yeah, I don't want to forget it. Is there anything else that down right pisses you off?"

        Camila smiled and answered, "Get ready to start writing a book, Lauren."

        She explained to Lauren all of the things that piss her off. Camila absolutely hated other people putting her outfits together for her, which made Lauren question her a bit since she couldn't see, but she let it go. She also hated when people tried to feed her, because that was a simple task, even for her. Camila liked to get her own mail and get other things for herself. Pretty much the only thing Camila liked was for people to do things for her only when she asks for them. She didn't want people asking her if she needed help either, and they had to wait till she gave the okay. By the time Camila had finished ranting to Lauren, about three pages were filled with things that Camila didn't like.

        "I appreciate the fact that you took time out of your life to listen to me rant about the things that I hate. Will you actually only do things that I ask you to do? I'm very good at doing many things myself. Some of which you wouldn't expect. The other nurses always did things for me without even asking." Camila asked.

        "Camila, I'm not the other nurses. I am Lauren Jauregui, and I will never once think about giving up on you. I'll only do things for you when asked." she replied.

        "Thank you." Camila said with a smile. "I'm glad that someone as smart as you has come into my life. I actually kind of hope you don't run away. I'll never find another nurse like you, I don't think."

        "Honestly," Lauren began. "I wouldn't prefer to work for anyone else."

        The entire afternoon that Lauren spent with Camila was actually quite enjoyable. She showed Lauren all of the things she could do, despite the fact that she was blind. Camila cooked grilled cheese for the both of them, with Lauren watching carefully to make sure that she didn't burn herself. She was able to do it successfully, even perfectly, since the grilled cheese was actually cooked just enough. Lauren was very impressed by the way that she was able to cook, clean, and gather plates and utensils. It was no wonder that Camila hated to feel helpless, because she really wasn't. Camila could honestly live her whole life without a nurse, but I refused to let her be alone.

        At about six, Camila dismissed Lauren and thanked her for one of the best days she has had in a while. Lauren drove to Mr. Holland's office to tell him about her discoveries and how her first day on the job went. When she entered his office, he had a look of disappointment on his face, since he thought that she was actually there to resign.

        "Here to resign? I don't blame you." he asked her.

        "No, not at all actually. We had a wonderful day. I've figured out why so many nurses have quit working for Camila and I've also seen all of the wonderful things that she can do as a blind individual." Lauren replied with a smile.

        "Oh, really? Tell me about this! I'd love to hear it!" 

        Lauren explained to Mr. Holland what she had found out about Camila that day, and he was very surprised at what she was actually capable of. He even thought that Lauren was lying about the whole grilled cheese thing. 

        "You know, Lauren. When you walked into my office yesterday, I knew that I saw potential in you. Camila is very lucky to have gotten you as a nurse, rather than another that couldn't handle the job. You're an irreplaceable employee, that we'd never want to lose. I hope that you continue to work hard like you did today, and continue to report to me each day what your day was like, whether it be in person or through e-mail. I honestly don't think your paycheck is going to cover all of the hard work that you've done. So I'm going to give you a raise, since you're actually going through with this." Mr. Holland explained.

        "Thank you, Mr. Holland! You won't be disappointed in me!" Lauren said.

        He nodded and said, "I'll see you soon, Lauren."

        "Okay, have a good day!" she replied as she walked back out to her car. 

        She knew that she had found the perfect job for her, and she even hoped that she and Camila could become close.


	3. Chapter Two

        The following day, Lauren walked up to Camila's door with a smile on her face, unlike yesterday, when she was shaky and nervous because of how Mr. Holland led the job on to be. She found that she actually enjoyed her job, working for Camila. Lauren thought Camila was different, and special at that. She was glad that she got a more challenging patient, instead of one than one that wouldn't even put up a fight. It was discovered that Camila was rather stunning, how she could perform daily tasks without needing any assistance. It was rather exciting for Lauren to find out what else she could do.

        As she waited for Camila to get to the door, she was shaking with excitement instead of fright. Finally, Camila managed to get to the door. When she opened the door, Camila appeared to be more stressed-looking than yesterday. She had dark bags under her eyes, unbrushed hair, and she was still in her pyjamas. Lauren began to worry at the sight of her, since she didn't look healthy at all.

        "Lauren? Please come in." Camila said, as she held the door wide open for Lauren to go into the house.

        Lauren entered the house, and she shut the door behind her. Camila led Lauren into the living room, where she had a one-thousand piece puzzle laid out on the coffee table. This confused Lauren, since blind people didn't tend to do puzzles since they couldn't actually see. Camila sat down on the couch, and pat down on the spot next to her to motion for Lauren to sit with her.

        "Please sit." she said. "I want you to do this puzzle with me."

        "Is that what you were doing all night, Camila? The puzzle?" Lauren asked.

        "Yes. I believe I've managed to get some of the edge pieces together."

        Lauren examined the puzzle to see that Camila actually managed to get some of the border pieces together.

        "Yes, you did. How did you do it?" she asked Camila.

        "A puzzle isn't only about seeing which piece seems to connect to another, it is also about actually fitting the pieces together. You know how when you are trying to put a puzzle together, you think two pieces will go together, but actually don't? Other people don't tend to notice that touch actually has the upper hand in putting together puzzles. My secret is to feel the edges of each piece, and telling whether or not it goes together with another piece. That's what I've been doing my whole life. As a child, I told my parents that I wanted to do a puzzle with them. They told me that I wouldn't be able to do it, even if it was only fifty pieces. I proved them wrong, though, because it only took me half an hour to complete it." she explained.

        "That's incredible, Camila. I feel like you could do this on your own." Lauren said proudly.

        "I probably could, but I stayed up all night doing this by myself. I'd love for you to help me complete it, so I could get some rest." she responded.

        "You haven't slept at all?" Lauren frowned.

        "I started to, but I woke up at midnight with the sudden urge to do a puzzle. Now I just want to finish it, but it will take way too long."

        "Well I'd love to help you out, Camila."

        "Thank you."

        Camila and Lauren spent hours doing the puzzle together, with Camila constantly asking if two pieces seemed to go together. They made some real progress in doing the puzzle, and it was already about halfway done. At about two o'clock, Camila had asked Lauren to make them something for lunch. She asked that Lauren made something quick and easy, so they could continue the puzzle together. Lauren decided to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and she returned to the living room to see that Camila had made some real progress in putting the puzzle together while she was away making lunch.

        "Wow." Lauren said. "You're really good at puzzles."

        "Thank you. They are my favorite thing to do. Ever since the first time I put one together, I've enjoyed doing them so much. No one has ever understood why, but I just feel so pleased whenever I actually finish one. When you have a disability such as blindness, you feel frustrated all the time because you can't do certain things that normal people can. I can't drive, go for walks by myself, or even play sports. It is hard for me to accomplish anything. With puzzles, I get the satisfaction for completing them like someone would usually get from winning something. It makes me feel so happy to do them, and honestly Lauren, doing puzzles makes me feel normal." Camila explained.

        "That's beautiful. I'm really glad that you've found something that you love to do." she replied, as she set the two plates of peanut butter and jelly on two empty spot on the table that were not occupied by puzzle pieces. "You know, you could probably even participate in a jigsaw puzzle competition. My cousin's friend actually did one last year, but didn't do too well. They usually have them annually downtown, if you'd want to try that sometime?"

        "Lauren! That would be awesome!" Camila smiled. "Could you get some information on that for me, please? And could you let me know when the next one will be held?"

        "Of course! I will get back to you on that tomorrow." she smiled back.

        The two of them stopped doing the puzzle for a few minutes, so they could eat their lunches together. As she ate, Lauren thought about how amazing Camila really was. She even started to feel like they were really bonding in a way that Lauren had never expected. Her feelings toward Camila were rather strange, but she couldn't decipher them. 

        When they both finished their lunches, Lauren offered to clean up while Camila worked on the puzzle some more. Camila happily agreed to the offer, rather than getting upset like Lauren honestly expected her to be. When Lauren was doing the dishes, she began to think more about Camila. She started to think that maybe she was starting to change her for the better. Camila wasn't as angry as she seemed when Lauren first met her, and she thought that this was all because of her. These thoughts put a smile on Lauren's face, and when she returned to the living room, she just stood and stared at Camila. Camila's ambition to complete the puzzle was very intriguing to Lauren, and was so beautiful to her.

        Lauren caught herself staring, and went to take her place back next to Camila. She examined the progress of the puzzle, and saw that it was already about three quarters of the way done. As soon as Lauren started to reach for a piece of the puzzle, Camila caught her wrist in a firm grasp without actually trying to hurt Lauren. When she did this, Lauren's skin began to tingle at her first actual skin contact with Camila.

        "Please." Camila began. "Would it be okay if I just finished it on my own? I'd like it if you could just help me out and be my eyes when putting pieces together. I hope you don't mind. It's a pride thing, and I'd love to do the rest."

        "Of course, Camila." Lauren said happily.

        "Thank you." she replied with a smile, as she released her grasp on Lauren and continued to do the puzzle.

        Lauren watched with amusement as Camila put piece after piece into the puzzle successfully. As she watched, she recording today's events in her journal about the whole puzzle incident. Camila hadn't even asked once if that is where the pieces seemed to belong, because she must have known so well that each piece had found its home. In her whole life, Lauren had never seen someone so interesting, ambitious, and wonderful. Lauren was extremely fond of Camila now, and was beginning to see her more as a friend than a patient.

        At about five, the puzzle was lacking its final piece, and Camila held it firmly in her hand. She paused for a moment, as if she was in deep thought. Lauren began to feel confused, and wondered why Camila hadn't finished the puzzle then and there.

        "Camila." Lauren said in a low melodic tone. "Do you want me to show you where the empty place is, or...?"

        "No." Camila snapped and faced Lauren. "I want you to put the piece in its place for me. This could very well be the best feeling in the world, and I want you to have it. Think of it as a symbol, I suppose. The puzzle itself is me. This piece here, is you."

        "I'm not sure if I completely understand, Camila." 

        "Just listen. The puzzle represents me before I met you. I felt almost complete, but I never actually felt whole. It's because of you that I feel like I'm one-hundred percent. I want you to put the piece in its place because you are what I think I've been missing... someone who I can talk to and share my feelings with. I can't really do that with anyone else, you see. Not my family, Mr. Holland, no one. I know I've only known you for a short time, but you are the missing piece of my puzzle. Would you complete it for me?" she asked.

        Lauren's eyes filled with tears of sheer happiness, and she replied, "I would love to complete you, Camila. Just one request, however. I just want you to put the piece in its place with me. Would you?"

        Camila's eyes seemed to fill with the same tears, and she answered with a smile, "Yes. I would be more than happy to. It feels nice that someone actually wants me to help them."

        The two of them held the piece together and slid it into its place. This caused Camila to jump off of the couch with excitement. She bounced up and down clapping, and Lauren couldn't help but smile and laugh at the sight. Camila was one happy camper for someone who was 'hard to maintain'. 

        When Camila had stopped, she said, "I just want to thank you again, Lauren. Now I can finally get some rest. I hate to ask this, but is it okay if you call it quits for the day? I'm probably going to bed now, since I got minimal sleep last night."

        "Of course, Camila." Lauren said, as she began to pack her things up.

        "Will I see you again tomorrow?" she asked.

        "Of course you will. I wouldn't want to do anything else." Lauren smiled.

        Camila also smiled and they said their goodbyes. After she left, Lauren got into her car and drove down to Mr. Holland's office to tell him about all of the wonderful things that had happened during the day. She was happily welcomed back into his office, and he was very happy to see that she was back with a smile and some more news.

        "Lauren! I see that you're looking well! How did things go today?" Mr. Holland asked.

        "Things went incredibly today! I found out something fascinating about Camila today! She does puzzles! And she did one today!" she exclaimed.

        "Puzzles? Like... jigsaw puzzles?"

        "Precisely." she answered.

        "Was it like a fifty-piece puzzle or something?" he asked.

        "Nope. It was one thousand pieces." she stated with a smile.

        Mr. Holland's face dropped when the word 'thousand' came out of her mouth. He thought Lauren was going to say one hundred, but he was still in complete shock.

        "She did it in one day? How?"

        "Doing a puzzle actually has little to do with sight, I learned. It is actually the sense of touch that is the most important. Camila told me that 'touch actually has the upper hand in putting together puzzles'. After doing some research about people who lack a sense such as sight or hearing, I also found that the person's other senses are actually enhanced. This leads me to believe that because her other four senses are enhanced, she has the ability to notice is a piece will go with another. It's really incredible. Camila is such a wonderful woman." Lauren explained.

        "That really is wonderful. I'm so glad that you're enjoying this job, Lauren. It's also great that you're learning from it as well. It seems like it is a great experience for you. I hope that you continue these efforts, because you are probably the hardest working employee that I have ever seen."

        She smiled brightly, with the knowledge that she was doing such a great job with Camila. It would be a nightmare if she were to lose this job.

        "Oh, and she wants to do a jigsaw puzzle competition. You know, the one that is held here in Miami every year. Would that be allowed?" she asked.

        "Of course, Lauren." he smiled. "That actually might be good for her."

        "Thank you. Now I've got to get home, and I'll see you tomorrow for another report." 

        "No, thank you! And I'll see you!" he dismissed her.

        Lauren left the building, knowing that she was already making a dramatic change in Camila's life. She knew that this was the start of something wonderful, and she couldn't wait for yet another day to spend with Camila.


	4. Chapter Three

        Over the course of the night, Lauren looked up more information regarding the puzzle competition in Miami. She found that it was actually having sign-ups for contestants at the end of the week. Even though the contest wasn't for a month, they still wanted to gather all of their entries together ahead of time. Lauren also took it upon herself to research through Camila's medical files to see what was actually the cause of her blindness.

        Camila had congenital blindness, which is when someone is born without the ability to see. Unfortunately, this could not be cured. Lauren had discovered something that was called gene therapy, which was the transplantation of normal genes into cells in place of missing or defective ones in order to correct genetic disorders. This wasn't a cure, nor was it perfected, but it was something that was currently being put to the test. She read a few articles that explained that gene therapy has helped the patients see contour lines, and has helped them distinguish the lights from the darks. As much as Lauren wanted even that for Camila, she thought that it was best to leave it be. After all, Camila probably already knew about all of this.

        The next day, Lauren waited at Camila's door for yet another exciting day. There was always something new and interesting about the woman that Lauren came to adore so much. Camila was just so strong and brave, creative and insightful, and independent and smart. Lauren began to even look up to Camila as her role model, and she strived to be more like her. 

        Camila opened the door suddenly with a smile, then welcomed Lauren into the house happily. She looked very well-rested now, and she was in brand new clothes. This was much better than yesterday, so Lauren assumed that she had gotten plenty of sleep and was in a good mood. She led Lauren into the kitchen, where two plates of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast were placed on the table. The table was perfectly set with two knives, two forks, and two glasses of orange juice. Camila had done this all by herself, which was absolutely fascinating.

        "I cooked breakfast for us. Hopefully you like what I've made. It's bacon, eggs, toast, and orange juice. Is that okay?" Camila asked.

        "Of course! This is actually my favorite breakfast meal, as cliche as that sounds."

        "It's not cliche. It's my favorite too." she said with a smile.

        Lauren smiled, as they sat down on opposite sides of the table. Before they started to eat, Camila blankly stared in Lauren's direction as she thought deeply about something.

        "Lauren," she began. "I've been thinking about how, even though you are my missing piece, we don't even actually know anything about each other. You know that I am blind, and that I love puzzles, but that's about all there is. I've never told you my life story, and I'd honestly love to. In return, I'd love to know your story as well. Would this be alright?"

        "Absolutely." Lauren responded happily.

        "Okay, I'll begin. I was born on March 3rd, 1997 to Sinuhue and Alejandro Cabello. The day that I was born, there was an awful thunderstorm brewing in the area, so I guess it was too awful for the heavens to bless me with the gift of vision. I'm exactly half Mexican and half Cuban, and I actually lived in Cuba till I was about six years old. I've got a little sister named Sofia, who was lucky enough to be born with the five senses. I was home-schooled, because it was easier on my parents and I, so I was never actually able to make friends. We had a neighbor who went by the name of April, but she never wanted to get to know someone who couldn't see.

        "It was always very difficult for me to make friends, you see. There was an opportunity, once, when my mom brought me to weekly support groups. I met a girl named Angela, who was born without arms. We really bonded over the fact that neither of us could actually do anything for ourselves. She was very nice, and we got along well, until she stopped going to the group for some reason. Since our mothers exchanged our phone numbers, I had given her a call. Angela had confessed her feelings about me, saying that she was a lesbian and had been crushing on me since the day we met. Unfortunately, I was insecure back then, and I told her that she deserved someone better than me... someone who actually had the ability to admire her beauty. We never talked again.

        "I stopped going to the support group, and I finished high school, without any intentions of going to college. In my past, I've considered doing many things. Being a musician, a social worker, or even one of those people who went around to different support groups to talk about their experiences. Instead, my parents and my disability checks pay for all of my expenses. I didn't have to work in order to be well-off. That brings me to where I am now. Being supported by family and the state, as well as Mr. Holland, who just so happens to be my godfather. Do you have any questions?" Camila explained to Lauren.

        "I have a few. Firstly, you said you wanted to possibly be a musician. Do you sing? Or play an instrument?" 

        "Yes. I sing and play guitar. I'll show you sometime if you'd like?" she offered.

        "That would be awesome! Now just one more question. Angela. Did you have any mutual feelings toward her? Or to anyone for that matter?" Lauren asked.

        "I suppose that I did, but I never told her that. She had an excellent personality, and was a wonderful human being, but she honestly could get someone better than me. They always say that if you love someone, you should let them go. I did love Angela, but I cared about her enough to let her have a better chance at happiness. Today, I do have feelings for someone else. Although she too deserves someone better, I hope that she'll stick around for a while."

        "Camila!" Lauren exclaimed, as she jumped up out of her chair. "Don't you dare talk about yourself that way! Don't you know that any person would be lucky to have you?! If you were mine, Camila, I would never allow you to feel this way! You are beautiful, smart, and talented, and if you can't see that then you need a reality check! You're perfect to me!"

        Lauren noticed that Camila was beginning to cry, and she realized now what she had just said. She honestly expected to receive a fit of rage from the girl, or even to be kicked out of the house. It was very possible that she could have just destroyed the seed that could have blossomed into a beautiful lily.

        "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Camila. It was a bad choice of words... I'm sorry, and I understand if you want me to leave." she said, apologetically as she stared at the girl who was crying into her hands.

        Lauren began to walk away from the table, but was stopped in her tracks when Camila grasped onto her wrist with full force, causing Lauren to wince. She felt the same tingling sensation from this touch that she had felt yesterday when Camila stopped her from continuing the puzzle. 

        "I don't understand." Lauren told her.

        Camila took a second to recollect herself and explained, "Lauren. I'm not at all upset with you, I'm happy. No one has ever said anything that kind to me since Angela, and it feels good to have someone involved in my life that cares about me so much. Please never leave me, Lauren. I need you. Please, please stay and tell me your life story. I want to know what I am becoming a part of."

        Without another word, Lauren took her seat again and took a sip of orange juice before telling Camila all about her life up until this point. She took a deep breath, and began telling Camila all about herself.

        "Well. I was born also on a very stormy day, June 27th, 1996 in Miami. My parents are Clara and Mike Jauregui, and my siblings are Taylor and Chris. I haven't exactly moved around, as I've pretty much stayed here my whole life. When growing up, I had a few close friends who ended up going to college in various other places. My very best friend, Veronica, Vero if you will, has gone away to school in California. She lives there now, but still intends on visiting me. As for my relationships, I've had a few. The worst of them was Brad, who abused me. I left him with the help of Vero, and he and his friends ended up bullying me till the end of high school. It was a bad time, and I probably couldn't have gotten through it without her.

        "Up until my senior year of high school, I hadn't decided what I wanted to be. It was a toss up between being a musician, nurse, lawyer, or even a writer. Before you ask, yes, I sing. I also play piano as well. My mother told me that although I wanted to be a musician the most, I should pick something a little more realistic.

        "There is a separate story of how I decided to be a nurse, however. When I was strolling along for a walk one day, I saw someone laying almost lifeless on the sidewalk. There was no one around to help, so I went to go investigate immediately. I found that the person was actually choking on something that she ate, so I called 9-1-1 and began performing CPR thanks to the course that my mom forced me to take. Eventually, I managed to clear the woman's airway, and she became conscious again. When the ambulance came for her, she thanked me for saving her life. The paramedics told me before they left that if I had done anything differently, the woman would have died. It was then that I realized what a great feeling it was to help people, and that I wanted to have a job in nursing.

        "Now that I have officially finished college, this is my very first job. Honestly, I could do this for the rest of my life. That's about it, I suppose. Do you have any questions for me?"

        "Well, I just want to say that you have great intentions, and a beautiful personality at that. Since you've asked me this question, I'll take it upon me to ask it of you. Do you have any current love interests?" Camila asked.

        This question made a cold chill go down her back, and it made her think really hard. She had never actually thought about her love interests, as she was focused on school and getting a job. Now that she had completed both, she never really got around to thinking about it. Lauren thought about Camila for a second. She didn't know if she actually had feelings of love and attraction to the girl, but she knew there was definitely something there. Lauren didn't want to tell Camila that, so she decided on how she would answer this question.

        "I don't think I've considered having one since high school. I've been so caught up with getting a job and finishing school, that I never had time to think about it. I guess I can say that I don't have one at the moment. Although, I did have a crush on Vero during our whole high school career, but that never went anywhere since she's straight." Lauren explained.

        "You're not? Straight, I mean." 

        "Not exactly. I'm more pansexual than anything. I don't love someone based off of their gender, and I find that I will love a person based off of whether I find them attractive and a good person or not."

        "That's sweet, Lauren." Camila complimented.

        "Thanks." she said with a smile.

        "Any time." Camila paused. "Now that I know you a lot better, I have a better understanding of the person that I can officially call my friend."

        Lauren didn't understand why, but she was actually pained by the word friend. She was confused, since she was Camila's first ever friend, but it just upset her slightly about how she was being dubbed as just a friend. It didn't make much sense, but she actually wished for the possibility that maybe Camila liked her more than that.

        "I'm glad to call you a friend as well, Camila." she told her.

        They exchanged smiles, and finished their breakfast as they chatted about their interests such as music, favorite foods, and favorite things to do. When they had finished, they cleaned up the dishes together. After that, Camila had Lauren repetitively say her phone number aloud so she could have it burned into her brain just in case she needed to have a chat. It took only about five times for Camila to actually get it right, which was pretty good for Lauren's complicated number. 

        When all of that business was taken care of, Camila had asked for Lauren to read her a story. Camila requested to be read F. Scott Fitzgerald's ' _The Great Gatsby_ ', since it was one of the only books she had. She knew she had it, because her mom had gotten it for her last birthday. Camila waited forever to read it, but she never got to that point with any of the other nurses.

        As Lauren read the story, Camila tried her hardest to picture the details that were being described. She found that books were actually her pathway to understanding how things looked around her, and they helped her visualize reality. After the first chapter, Camila actually managed to fall into a deep sleep. When Lauren noticed that she was actually sleeping rather than visualizing, she took it upon herself to carry the small girl up to her room.

        When she managed to finally get her into bed, she glanced around at the room and saw that it was all neat and tidy. For someone who was blind, Camila did an excellent job decorating. Lauren even thought Camila's room looked better than her own. All of the furniture was modern-looking and white, and it was a beautiful bedroom set.

        Since the day was not nearly over, Lauren thought that it was a good idea to take a nap herself. She decided that the couch in the living room was going to make do for now. Before closing her eyes, Lauren took in the beautiful sight of the puzzle they had done yesterday. It was of an average, beautiful day in Miami. As she drifted off to sleep, a small tear rolled down her cheek as she thought about how Camila would never be able to see it.


	5. Chapter Four

        Lauren woke up to the feeling of her torso being crushed by unidentified mass. She opened her eyes to see that Camila had taken a seat right on top of her. It took her a while to understand why she would do this, but then she remembered, Camila was blind and probably didn't even know that Lauren had taken a nap on her couch. In attempt to catch her attention, Lauren gently poked at Camila's side, causing her to jump and let out a crisp, raspy scream that caused Lauren to giggle.

        "Who is that?! Who's there?" she asked, frightened.

        "It's me, Camila!" Lauren shouted with a laugh.

        "Lauren?!" she turned to face her. "I thought you had left after I fell asleep during the story."

        "The day isn't even over yet, Camila. Did you really think I would leave you without formally saying goodbye? I just decided to take a nap on the couch while you took one yourself."

        "I thought the couch felt a little lumpy."

        "Hey!" Lauren exclaimed, pretending to be hurt.

        The two of them erupted into a fit of laughter as Lauren sat upright on the couch. They continued like this for about a minute, and Lauren couldn't help but admire how Camila was when she was this ecstatic and whimsical. She loved her face when it lit up as she smiled, the way her chest moved up and down as she laughed uncontrollably, and especially her laugh itself. It was very unique to Lauren, hearing how raspy it was, and how the pitch of her laugh increased during short, spaced out increments of time. Lauren had never heard a sound so delightful, so graceful, so perfect...

        When the laughter finally ended, Lauren stood up and got a glance of the time on the clock that hung up in the room above her television set. It was about three o'clock, which was an awkward time that was way past lunch, but non quite dinner time. Her eyes landed on the television set again. She hadn't ever noticed it before, and it dumbfounded her as to why Camila had one. 

        "Camila. Why do you have a TV? Wouldn't it be hard to watch it?" Lauren asked.

        "I don't watch it. I listen. It's difficult to actually understand what is actually happening on TV, but I manage to create a visual image based off of what I hear. Most of the time I feel that I picture it wrong, but that okay. Listening to TV is like reading a book... you visualize it the way that you feel best suits that story. That's the thing I love about books. No one ever tells you that the way you picture it is wrong, as everyone has their own individual thoughts on what a certain part means. I would honestly rather to listen to TV than watch it, since I love to use my imagination. You should try it with me sometime, Lauren." she explained.

        "Very insightful. I love the way you think, Camila."

        "Thank you. Would you like to do that now? We could listen to TV together?" 

        "How would we do that?" Lauren questioned.

        "Just turn on the TV, put on any show you would like, then close your eyes and try to envision it with me." Camila answered with a smile.

        "Okay." she returned the smile.

        Lauren located the remote on the table beside the couch, and flicked through the channels till she managed to find the TV show ' _FRIENDS_ '. She placed the remote back on its spot on the table, then closed her eyes. Before doing so, she managed to catch a glimpse on Camila smiling, indicating that she knew this show as well. They both sat together without a word, until the theme song came on. Camila and Lauren joined in together to sing along to the familiar tune, creating an excellent two-part harmony.

        As they sang along, they listened to each other's voices deeply. Camila noticed how beautiful Lauren's voice sounded. It was a low, melodic tone that sounded so different, yet so perfect against her higher pitched, harsher voice. Lauren thought the same way about how they sounded as a duo. When the theme had ended, and the TV went to a commercial, Lauren looked over at Camila.

        "You have an outstanding singing voice, Camila." she said.

        "I was just about to say the same about yours." Camila smiled.

        Lauren returned the smile and said, "Our voices actually sound really nice together, for real."

        "I'm thinking the same. We harmonized really well, I think."

        "We should sing together more often! Maybe even become famous!" Lauren joked.

        Camila laughed, "I know you're joking, but that would be pretty cool I must admit. But what good would a blind musician be?"

        "Excuse me." Lauren sassed jokingly. "Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Dianne Schuur... May I go on?"

        "I suppose you're right." she paused. "On that note, I think I'm done listening to TV. I'd rather do something else."

        "What's that?" Lauren asked, reaching for the remote.

        "I want to perform something for you." she answered.

        Lauren turned off the TV, and placed the remote back on the table. She faced Camila again and said, "I would love that, Camila."

        "Follow me." she instructed.

        They both got up off of the couch, and Camila led Lauren up the stairs to a room that was across from her own. The door had been closed, so Lauren hadn't seen what was in it. Camila opened the door to reveal what appeared to be a music room. Lauren thought that Camila must have been really dedicated to music in order to have a whole room full of it.

        The walls of the room were a deep maroon color, and the floor was polished and wooden. The ceiling was smooth and white, with a medium-sized skylight that let in the right amount of sunlight into the room. At the center of the room was a black grand piano with a bench to match it. There was also a lone chair in one of the corners, where Lauren assumed Camila sat as she played guitar. Against one of the walls was a collection of four guitars leaned up against it. Two of the guitars were electric, another being electric-acoustic, and the other just being acoustic. Also against the same wall, were two amps for her guitars.

        Lauren followed Camila into the room, and watched her carefully pick up her brown Gibson guitar. She held the guitar in one hand, as she bent down to grab a guitar pick from a small box that sat beside her guitars. Camila then proceeded to take a seat in the small chair in the corner, where she finally assumed the position that she needed to be in to play.

        "Please, Lauren. Take a seat on the piano bench if you will." she said, before starting.

        "Okay." Lauren responded, as she pulled out the bench to take a seat.

        Camila cleared her throat and said, "Okay, so this is one song that really speaks to me. The message of the song is so pure and just, that listening to it really gets me though the good days and the bad. It's called 'Beautiful' by Christina Aguilera. Do you know it, Lauren?"

        "I love that song! Christina Aguilera is one of my musical influences, actually." she replied excitedly.

        Camila smiled back, and said, "I'm glad! I hope you'll like it."

        Lauren watched as Camila strummed a few chords to check if the guitar was in tune, and then she felt her way to the correct spot on the fretboard. Before beginning, she strummed the chord to check if it was correct. After deciding that it was, she started to play the song and began to sing along.

        " _Every day is so wonderful. Then suddenly, it's hard to breathe. Now and then, I get insecure. From_ _all the pain, I'm so ashamed._ " Camila sang with her crispy, Mezzo-soprano voice ringing though the room as it bounced off the walls.

        Lauren watched her with amusement, as she took in how passionate she was when playing the song. Never in her life had she seen someone perform with so much enthusiasm. She continued to watch, as Camila sang the chorus.

        " _I am beautiful no matter what they say. Words can't bring me down. I am beautiful in every single way. Yes, words can't bring me down, ohh, no._ _So don't you bring me down today._ "

        As she continued through the rest of the song, Lauren could have sworn she was at a concert watching a world-famous musician play her hit single for thousands upon thousands of fans. She remembered, however, that it was only the two of them, and it was all just for her. Lauren had never felt so special, so wanted in her life. It was then that she realized how much Camila seemed to really appreciate her being there. They had grown so close over these past few days, and she felt a bond with Camila that she has never felt to anyone else before. She hadn't felt this way around Vero, Brad, or any of the people that have been a part of her past. Camila was special to her, and she had a home in her heart now that would never allow her to be evicted. 

        Camila finished the song, while managing to successfully hit the high note that was at the end of the bridge of the song. Lauren stood up and clapped for her with a bright smile, which caused Camila's face to light up immediately.

        "You liked it?" she asked.

        "I loved it!" Lauren exclaimed. "Why are you not doing anything for a music career?"

        "I didn't think they'd want me because I was blind, but Lauren, you've made me realize that maybe they might. I've always been confident with my voice, but I just didn't think there was a place for me in the industry." Camila explained.

        "There is definitely a place for you, Camila. You should honestly think about auditioning for ' _The Voice_ ' or something!" 

        "Maybe. On one condition. You come with me and audition as well." she proposed.

        "It's a deal." Lauren accepted.

        "Okay. Now, what would you like for dinner? I was thinking that we could have an early one since we happened to miss lunch." she changed the subject.

        Lauren agreed and told her that spaghetti and meatballs sounded appetizing, so they decided to make it for dinner. While they cooked and ate together, they talked about how Lauren would do research about when the next auditions for ' _The Voice_ ' were and what they planned on auditioning with. Camila decided immediately upon 'Beautiful', while Lauren decided upon 'Still Into You' by Paramore, who was another of her musical influences. Camila had also brought up that Lauren's voice seemed to be a good match to Hayley Williams's, since they both had smooth, melodic voices. She also had said that they had similar vocal ranges. Lauren agreed with everything that she had to say, and she further agreed that it was excellent auditioning choice.

        When they had finished their meals and the cleaning up that followed, Camila and Lauren decided to continue with the reading of ' _The Great Gatsby_ '. Together, they sat on the couch as they had earlier, and Lauren picked up where she left off. Lauren successfully got through at least three chapters, before she realized that it was already six o'clock. She shut the book closed, which caused Camila to have a look of confusion.

        "Why did you stop reading?" she asked Lauren.

        "It's six. I usually leave around this time." Lauren explained.

        "You can stay longer if you want to. I'm not going to kick you out. I really enjoy your company, and I would love to hear more of the story if you don't mind."

        "Sure. I'll stay a while." she said, smiling.

        Lauren continued to read till it was nine o'clock, and Camila hadn't realized how long she had kept her there. When Lauren shut the book closed again, Camila looked in Lauren's direction.

        "It's nine o'clock now, Camila. I should really get home and e-mail Mr. Holland." Lauren explained.

        "Oh. I'm sorry to have kept you so late, Lauren. I hadn't realized the time, since I was enjoying your company so much."

        "It's alright. I was enjoying my time with you as well."

        Camila smiled, then stood up as a gesture of dismissal to Lauren. When she stood up, Camila held her arms out to Lauren so she could hug her. Lauren accepted the hug gratefully and placed her forehead on Camila's shoulder, as she did the same.

        "Thank you for being such a great person and an amazing friend." Camila mumbled into Lauren's shoulder.

        "And you too, Camila. You're the best friend that I've ever had." Lauren replied, as the word 'friend' stung in her throat.

        They both pulled apart and they said their goodbyes. On the drive home, Lauren thought about their day together and how she honestly thought she was being to see Camila as more than a friend. Like yesterday, all possibility of that being true was destroyed whenever Camila called her 'friend'. It's not like she desperately wanted Camila to like her in that way, but at the same time, she didn't just want to be friends. Lauren didn't think she was crushing, because she never had the urge to kiss her or anything, but at the same time, she wouldn't have minded getting a kiss. Her feelings were all jumbled up, but it was something that Lauren could shake off for now.

        When she arrived home after a thoughtful ride, she opened her laptop and logged into her e-mail account. She clicked on the 'compose' button, then entered Mr. Holland's address into recipient's text box. Then, Lauren began to type a message to him about what had happened that day. She typed:

_Dear Mr. Holland,_

_I apologize for not coming in today, as I stayed late with Camila today. I've found out some interesting things about Camila today. First, she loves it when you read to her. She had me read a few chapters of 'The Great Gatsby' today, and she was more than please. Camila also has a television set in her living room. It confused me at first, but then I understood. She explained to me that she listens to TV, and she envisions what she hears from shows and movies in her own mind. She had me listen to an episode of 'FRIENDS' with her today, and it was actually quite fun until we were distracted by the theme song._

_Camila showed me her music room, which has some guitars and a piano in it. Then she performed a song for me while playing the guitar. She has a lot of talent and potential, Mr. Holland. I even convinced her that she should audition for 'The Voice', as long as I did it with her. Hopefully it's alright that we do that._

_We also finished the day by having a meal of spaghetti and meatballs. As I was actually about to leave at the normal time, she requested that I read more to her, and I ended up being kept until nine. You don't have to pay me overtime for that, because I stayed there on my own accounts. I enjoy spending time with Camila, as she does with me. Honestly, I don't know how I could ever repay you for such an amazing job and experience. I'll try to see you at normal time tomorrow._

_Have a good day,_

_Lauren_

        She clicked the 'send' button, and she shut her laptop for the night. After doing the usual routine of getting into pyjamas, brushing her teeth, and washing her face, Lauren got into bed. As she laid there, all of her thoughts went to Camila. Did she really have a crush on Camila? Or did Camila have a crush on her? She didn't know, but she pondered around these questions until she finally drifted into a deep sleep for the night.


	6. Chapter Five

        During the next few days, Lauren and Camila continued to bond as they had been since they first met, with their feelings exponentially growing even stronger for each other. Lauren performed a song for Camila on her piano, as Camila had done for her with her guitar. She decided to sing 'If I Ain't Got You' by Alicia Keys, which was one of her personal favorites. Lauren chose to sing that song because it was actually how she felt about Camila. If she didn't have Camila in her life, Lauren's life would be so dull and boring as it always had been. 

        Lauren still had trouble deciphering what type of feelings she was actually having for Camila, and it continued to bother her more and more as the days went by. She didn't know what she was feeling exactly. Sometimes, Lauren just wanted to hug Camila and tell her that everything was going to be alright, and that she'd never go back to being alone. Other times, she felt so attracted to Camila that she just wanted slam her against a wall and start making out with her profusely, only to carry her up to her room to have a 'romantic' evening. Lauren was both attracted to Camila's personality and the way she looked, but she didn't know if it was enough to actually go forth with a relationship or not. She came to the conclusion that maybe she wasn't in love with Camila because she assumed her to not like her back in that way. As much as she tried to forget about these festering feelings, she couldn't, and probably wasn't going to.

        Over the time that Lauren had to herself, she managed to find out about ' _The Voice_ ' auditions, which would actually be taking place in Miami the following month. She and Camila both registered for the auditions together, and were very excited to do so. In their individual time, they practiced their songs for the auditions, getting better and better each day. After only a few days, the two of them began to feel extremely confident in the songs that they would be singing, and they felt just confident enough to think that they would make it.

        Lauren continued to e-mail Mr. Holland about her findings and experiences, as she kept staying late at Camila's accoring to her wishes. There was one day that Lauren left early so she could see Mr. Holland in person since she hadn't done so in a couple days. He was pleased to have an engaging conversation about her job, rather than having to message her about it from behind a screen. 

        Finally, it was Friday. The day that Camila signed up to take part in the  _14th Annual Jigsaw Puzzle Competition of Miami_. Lauren had driven to Camila's house as usual, and walked right on in as Camila had asked her to do so from now on. Camila had told her that knocking was for people who were strangers and not close friends, and that Lauren was close enough to her that she didn't need to knock ever again. When she walked in, she found Camila in her living room rubbing her eyes like she had something in them.

        "Are you alright, Camila? Do you have something in your eyes?" Lauren asked.

        "Contacts." she answered.

        "Contacts...?"

        "Yes, contacts. They don't do anything for me, obviously, but they do help me feel less weird around people in public who don't know me." she explained.

        "How so?"

        "You'll see in a second."

        Soon enough, Camila opened her eyes to reveal that the contacts made her eyes look like average brown ones. Lauren wasn't exactly a fan, because she found that Camila's whitish-grey eyes were unique and stunning. Nevertheless, she still looked beautiful and she honestly didn't even look like a blind person anymore. 

        "Wow." was the only word Lauren could say.

        "Did I put them in right?" she asked.

        "Uh, yes. Why do you need those though? I think your plain eyes look stunning the way that they are."

        "I know, Lauren, but I just like to feel normal. Going out in public with blank eyes makes me seem like an outcast. Even though I am, I don't feel like it when I'm wearing these colored contacts. They make me feel like I actually belong when I'm out of the house, which I haven't done in a while since all of the other nurses left." Camila explained.

        "You're not an outcast, Camila. Just because you can't see anything, doesn't mean that you are so different that people would call you that."

        Camila sighed and dropped her head, "I guess so."

        "Good. Now are you ready? We need to get there soon." Lauren pointed out.

        "Yes. Let's go." Camila said.

        The two of them locked up the house and got into Lauren's car. As soon as Lauren started the car, Camila immediately went to feel for the radio. She felt around the whole system, trying to figure out where the on button was. Much to Lauren's surprise, she managed to find it on the first try. The power button was, in fact, the largest button on the radio, so it wasn't too hard for her to find it. 

        "I hope you don't mind that I'm putting on some music." she finally said.

        "It's fine. I was literally just about to ask if you wanted to." Lauren replied.

        Camila nodded and proceeded to find the 'seek' buttons to find a good station. She found the Miami Hits 97.3 station, which was playing Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud'.

        "Ed Sheeran?" Lauren asked.

        "Ed Sheeran." Camila smiled. "He's one of my favorite singers. He writes his own stuff, and he sings beautifully."

        "I know. He's one of my favorites too. I must say, Camila. You have an amazing taste in music." she complimented with a smile.

        "As do you, Lauren. As do you."

        Receiving compliments from Camila make Lauren's heart flutter as she pulled out of the driveway and proceeded down the road. On the way, Lauren thought about the message of the song that filled the car with its melodic tune, and she was beginning to think of how things would be if it was a song about her and Camila. She questioned how things would be if she and Camila were in love as much as Ed loved this girl in the song. Lauren began to daydream as she drove about what things would be like if they actually dated. She envisioned it as a bunch of fluff by day, and a lot of smut by night. They would go on dates, shop together, go to concerts, and all of that cute realtionship stuff. She dropped the thought process quickly, as she remembered that they were just friends, and none of that would probably ever happen. If any of it were to happen, she'd wait for Camila to make the first move.

        When they arrived at the building, there were many cars parked in its lot. Lauren assumed that this competition was a pretty big thing, and wondered whether or not Camila still wanted to go through with this or not.

        "Camila." she began. "There's tons of people here. Do you still want to do this?"

        "Of course I do, Lauren. This is one of my few passions, and I'm not going to let all of these people get in my way. I'd do it with one competitor, and I'd do it with a million." she explained.

        "Okay, let's go then." Lauren said with a nervous vibrato in her voice.

        They both unfastened their seat-belts, and got out of the car. Lauren walked around the front to get to Camila. In this unfamiliar place, Camila needed Lauren to direct her in the correct direction.

        "Alright, just follow my voice Camila." Lauren said.

        "No." she said, sternly. Camila held her left hand out to me. "I want you to hold my hand and lead me to the entrance that way."

        "Okay." Lauren replied, while taking Camila's hand.

        Holding her hand felt so alien to Lauren, as she never would have thought that she'd do so. Camila's touch made her hand feel tingly and jittery, but it felt so right at the same time to be walking hand-in-hand with Camila. Were these feelings of affection? Of love? Lauren was unaware. She started to picture Camila as her girlfriend, as that was what it felt like to her right then. Lauren snapped back into reality when Camila spoke up.

        "Are you alright, Lauren? I can feel your hand shaking." 

        "Yeah, I just don't do well in front of large crowds of people." she lied.

        "But this isn't even for you, Lauren. If anything, I should be nervous. I'm not, but still." 

        "That's true, but I'm always afraid that I'm going to trip and have people laugh at me."

        "That wouldn't happen. I'd catch you if you were about to fall, just so you know." Camila smiled.

        That statement made Lauren's heart skip a beat, and she could help but smile back widely. Although Camila probably didn't actually have the ability to catch her in the event that she'd fall, she still felt that the gesture was adorable.

        They finally made it into the building with Camila actually seeming like she was not blind. Inside, there were several lines of people registering at separate desks. Things were probably done this way in order to lighten the load and lessen the time that it took to get the registration over with. Lauren led Camila to the back of what happened to be the shortest line, and she stood beside her as she waited for it to be her turn. As they waited, Lauren listened to Camila talk about how her audition practice was going for ' _The Voice_ '. Lauren, who instead watched Camila than listened to her, took in the beauty and passion of how she talked about how well it was going. Without listening to a word she was saying, Lauren just continued to nod and smile at her.

        Finally, it was Camila's turn to register for the competition. The person who was signing her up was a young, attractive male who wore a name tag that read ' _Hi! My name is... Dylan_ ' with a smiley face drawn on it. He smiled when they approached, and they did the same.

        "Hello! Are you both registering today?" he asked.

        "No, it's just me. She's here for moral and physical support." Camila answered.

        "Alrighty! What's your name?"

        "Karla Cabello."

        He proceeded to write her name down, as well as all of the other information that was needed for the process. Some of these included her address and phone number. When everything was done, the unexpected happened.

        "You know, Karla." he began.

        "Camila." she corrected. "Although my name is Karla, I like to be called by my middle name."

        "Okay. Well, I just wanted to say that your friend has some fascinating eyes." he said, just quietly enough for Lauren to miss.

        "Hmm. Maybe you should be asking for her number then." Lauren caught Camila saying with a smirk.

        Lauren caught on immediately, and was kind of upset by it. She angrily thought about how her chances of ever becoming more than a friend to Camila were instantly shattered by the fact that Camila just pretty much directed someone else at her instead. As much as she found Dylan attractive, she still had a much deeper connection to Camila, as well as a stronger physical attraction to her. Successfully, Lauren hid these emotions behind a smile. She decided that she would actually put her feelings toward Camila aside for now, as much as it hurt, and she'd see how things went with this guy. Dylan seemed sweet, so it wasn't like it would be too bad... except for the fact that she'd rather have a shot with Camila.

        "I thought you two were an item?" he asked, causing Lauren to feel nervous for Camila's answer.

        "Now way! She's just a friend and nothing more! Come on, give her your number or something! She's lonely." Camila laughed.

        Lauren was pissed off now. Why would Camila think she was lonely, when she wasn't? Couldn't she see that being with her everyday was all that Lauren needed? She was especially pissed about how Camila was trying so hard to give her away to someone else. It made Lauren feel unwanted by Camila, even though that wasn't even close to being true. 

        Dylan immediately took a piece of blank paper that he found laying around, and scribbled his name and cell phone number down. He handed it to Lauren, and she took it from him with a smile, despite the fiery rage that was boiling in her mind at the moment.

        "Feel free to call or text me..." he trailed off, and waited for her to introduce herself.

        "Lauren." she replied. "And I think I just might."

        "Cool. I look forward to it, Lauren." he smiled, then turned to look back at Camila. "And I'll see you on the day of the competition."

        He held his hand out to shake hers. When she went to do the same, she missed his hand completely, which caused him to laugh a little.

        "What are you? Blind?" he laughed, without actually knowing.

        "Actually yes." she frowned.

        Camila didn't seem offended, since she must have gotten this all the time. She laughed it off. Lauren, who usually would have been pissed about this, just frowned rather than backing her up since she was so upset with her.

        "I'm sorry, I didn't-" he was cut off.

        "It's totally okay. Since you're going to ask, I'll explain." she began. "I don't do puzzles based off of what I see. I do them based off of feeling the edges of the pieces to see if they go together. It might be hard for you to understand, but... that's how I do it."

        "I suppose it is kind of hard to understand, but that's incredible." he complimented. "But I really have to continue with the registrations, so I'll be seeing you."

        They both said goodbye, and Camila reached for Lauren's hand as she had before. Even though she was angry, Camila still needed her assistance, and it was her job to assist after all. When they got back into the car, Lauren started it and they drove off together. It was strange to Lauren, because Camila hadn't bothered to turn on the radio. Without music, the whole ride back to Camila's house was long, quiet, and awkward. Lauren began to suspect that something was wrong with Camila, which was confirmed when she saw a tear running down her face.

        "Camila, are you alright?" she managed to ask, as they arrived at her home.

        "Yeah, but I would rather be alone for the rest of the day if it's alright."

        "Of course." Lauren answered, while actually wishing the same.

        "Thanks. I'll be seeing you." Camila said, as she got out of the car.

        "See ya." Lauren said, with an upset tone.

        Lauren watched Camila walk to her house, carefully observing that she didn't fall or wander into someone else's house instead. When she entered her home safely, Lauren drove off immediately, letting the tears that she was holding back pour down her face. As much as it pained her to admit it, maybe it was time that she just accepted Camila as 'just a friend'.


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N: Hey guys! I apologize for not updating yesterday, as I spent the whole day at my grandfather's funeral. He passed away on February 18th, so I've decided to dedicate this chapter to him. I named the restaurant that Dylan takes Lauren to after him, in case you're wondering why I gave it the name it has. Although my grandpa likes to be called Ted, his real first name is Russell, which is the middle name that I gave to Dylan's character. I really hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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        Lauren finally returned home after a ride that seemed to last an eternity, and all she could think to do was cry. The first thing she did was throw herself onto her bed and let the tears flow freely from her eyes. She sobbed uncontrollably for what seemed like hours, until she couldn't anymore. Without wanting to do anything else, she just laid there staring at the ceiling, as her eyes burned due to lack of moisture. She hadn't completely understood her feelings, until she actually stopped to think. Lauren was completely in love with Camila.

        She took some more time to think about why she was trying to shield her feelings from herself, and she came to the conclusion that it was because Camila was her patient. It violated every code in the book to develop feelings for the person that was in your care when you were a nurse. At least, that is what Lauren was taught in school. As a result of this, she had tried to cover up her own feelings, which ended up only making things worse in the long run. She kept everything bottled up inside, which was never a good thing for anyone. Lauren knew that she had to rid these feelings, and fast, before she had to quit her job. She refused to let that happen, since Camila really did need her help.

        After putting some thought into how she was going to get over Camila, Lauren remembered the boy named Dylan from the puzzle competition sign-ups. When growing up, she had learned that the best way to get over someone was to date someone else. It usually worked out for her in the past, so maybe Dylan was the key. She checked the time to see that it was three o'clock, which was an hour after the sign-ups closed. Hopeful that he was done with everything, Lauren pulled his number out of her pocket and pulled out her phone. She dialed his number, while checking to see if it was put in correctly, then she touched the 'call' button. The phone only rang twice before he answered, which let Lauren know that he was probably very interested in her. 

        "Hello?" his sweet, melodic voice said through the speaker.

        "Is this Dylan? It's Lauren, the one you gave your number to today." she explained.

        "Oh, Lauren! I was expecting your call! Honestly, I didn't think someone as beautiful as you would actually even consider calling me." he laughed.

        Her heart fluttered at his compliment. Not quite in the way that Camila had done so for her, but it was still meaningful to her. Any compliment was taken to heart, whether it was from a close friend or a stranger just passing by on the street. 

        "Aw," she smiled. "I called because you seem like a really nice guy! It's in my best interest to get to know you."

        "How about we get to know each other over dinner? Would that be alright?" he asked. "It'll be my treat."

        "I'd love it!" Lauren exclaimed. "Where and when did you have in mind?"

        "How about tonight? I know it's a little short notice, but I'm free if you are. There's a new place in downtown Miami that I would love to try out." he proposed.

        With her own knowledge that she was indeed free, she responded, "You actually caught me on one of my free days! When should I expect you?"

        "If you could be ready in an hour, I can be there to get you." 

        "Okay, cool. I'll see you then!" she exclaimed.

        "But wait! Lauren, you haven't even told me where you live yet!" he pointed out with a chuckle.

        "Oh, yeah!" she laughed as well.

        She explained to Dylan exactly where she lived, and he luckily knew where her neighborhood was since he had family in the area. After they hung up, Lauren thought about Camila again. She remembered how upset Camila was when she left her house earlier. Camila didn't even want Lauren to come in, which struck her as odd. She didn't even ask for assistance to her front door, even though she managed to do it herself. Even though she was trying to get over the girl, Lauren still had to check on her patient. She dialed Camila's number quickly, then waited for her to pick up. Lauren frowned as she received no answer. She desperately called her several times, since she was worrying now, but the only answer she got was the voice mail. Giving up, Lauren decided to leave a message.

        "Hey, Camila. It's Lauren. You seemed really upset earlier, and I was just calling to see if my best friend was doing okay. I really worry about you, you know. Please call me when you're available. Bye, Camila." she spoke, only to end the call afterwards. 

        Lauren put her worries of Camila aside, then got up to examine herself in the mirror. She noticed that her make-up had pretty much come off from her tears, her hair was a mess, and she wasn't even dressed for a date with an attractive person. With only half an hour left, she only had time to re-do her make-up, brush her hair, and find an outfit that he would hopefully find appealing. 

        She wiped the remnants of her make-up off and put on new eyeliner and mascara, then she brushed her hair till she had gotten out all of the snarls. In her closet, she found a nice, sexy grey top along with some black skinny jeans. Just as she had finished squeezing into her jeans, she heard a knock on the door that must have belonged to Dylan. Lauren turned off all of the lights in her house, and opened the front door to see that she was correct.

        Dylan stood there with a bright smile on his face and an arm held behind his back. He was wearing a white v-neck shirt with a black blazer and some black jeans, which was the typical outfit for any guy in these parts. Lauren returned a smile back to him, and began to wonder what he was hiding behind his back.

        "Hello, Lauren." he greeted her politely.

        "Hey, Dylan! What have you got there?" she asked, referring to whatever he was holding out of sight.

        "Well..." he replied as he held a single rose out to Lauren, causing her face to light up instantly. "I got you this rose. It's not much, but I hope you'll accept it."

        "It's beautiful! Would you like to come in so I can put it in a vase of water?" 

        "I'd love to! Lead the way!" 

        She led him into the house, then shut the door behind him. After flicking on the lights, Lauren walked into the kitchen with the rose in her hand and Dylan following close behind. He took a seat in one of the chairs at the kitchen table, then admired Lauren as she found a vase, filled it with the right amount of water, and placed the rose inside. She placed it at the center of the kitchen table and looked at Dylan with a smile, that he ended up returning.

        Lauren admitted that Dylan was a real gentleman and that he was really good-looking, but the number one thing on her mind was Camila. She didn't think it seemed very fair to him that she wouldn't be able to give him her full and undivided attention, but at the same time, she felt like she needed to get out and do something to at least try to get her mind off of her problems. 

        "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

        Lauren nodded, and he immediately stood up and pushed in his chair. Dylan held out his hand, gesturing for her to take it. She stared at his hand for a moment, thinking about whether or not she was actually ready to already start holding it. They weren't dating, and she didn't plan on doing so because of her feelings towards Camila, but she decided to take his hand out of kindness. After shutting off the lights yet again, they vacated the house and locked the doors. They walked to his Ford Fusion, and got in so that they could finally leave for their dinner date.

        Dylan started the car, then turned on the radio in order to prevent an awkwardly quiet ride to the restaurant. Lauren was caught off guard when she realized that Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful' played out of the speakers. Of course it had been that one song out of many that had to play. The song made her think about all of the time she had spent with Camila over the past week, and how it was the song that she had a deep connection to. She thought back to how Camila had poured her feelings out to her and explained her entire life story. Lauren remembered specifically when Camila wanted her to complete the puzzle for her, and how special Camila made her feel that day. For once in Lauren's life, a certain individual made a permanent mark on her heart that couldn't be erased.

        "Lauren...? Hey. Lauren?" Dylan interrupted her thoughts.

        "Sorry, what? I was just spacing out." she answered.

        "Are you okay?"

        "Of course I am! Why?"

        "You're crying." 

        "I am?" she asked, while wiping her cheeks to see that it was true. "That's weird. I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was."

        "It's okay, don't worry. But are you sure you're still up for tonight? I don't want to force you to go out with me if you don't want to."

        "That's not it, Dylan. It's just... I'm having a little trouble with a friend of mine." 

        "Is it the girl you were with today? Is she alright?" he asked, hoping that he wasn't invading her private life or anything of that nature.

        "Yes, it was. After we left, she seemed a little off and upset. It has me worried, you know? I really care about Camila." she explained.

        "Have you tried calling her at all?"

        "Yeah, but there was no answer. I'm really worried about her, Dylan." Lauren frowned.

        "After dinner, maybe I could take you there? In case you wanted to go and check on her." he offered.

        "That would be a real help. Thank you." she accepted, after thinking about how good of an idea this was.

        "You're welcome. She's really lucky to have someone like you in her life that cares about her so much."

        "Yeah..." Lauren trailed off.

        For the whole remainder of the ride, not another word was spoken between the two of them. The ride would have been dead silent, but the radio was still on playing various pop hits. Honestly, without the radio, this would have probably been the most awkward ride ever for Lauren.

        Finally, they arrived at the restaurant which was called Grandpa Ted's Steakhouse. Lauren noticed a sign on the front door as they walked in that said ' _Welcome to the grand opening of Grandpa Ted's Steakhouse! We hope you enjoy our meals and service!_ ' that confirmed how new the place really was. She also managed to catch a glimpse of the date that the grand opening took place on, which was February 18th. That was about a couple weeks ago, so they probably forgot to take down the sign.

        When they went inside, Lauren glanced around to see that there was plenty of country-themed decor. It wasn't particularly her style, but she thought that the interior was actually quite beautiful for what they were going for. The smell of steak and various other foods tickled her nose, reminding her of how hungry she actually was. She hadn't eaten a single thing all day, so she was ready to eat anything that came her way. 

        A very pretty waitress greeted us as we walked in, then asked them, "Table for two?"

        "Yes." Dylan responded with a smile.

        "You're in luck! A couple cancelled their reservation tonight, so you can have their spot. Honestly, you probably would have been waiting hours for a table since we're a full house! Please follow me." she instructed.

        They followed the waitress to their table, which was pretty much at the center of everything, then sat down. She took their orders for drinks quickly; Lauren decided upon the healthy option of getting a water, while Dylan decided to order a Diet Coke.

        "So." Dylan began as soon as the waitress went to go retrieve their drinks. "Shall we get to know each other?"

        "Sure. Do you want to go first?" Lauren asked.

        "Absolutely." he said, then began to tell her all about himself. "My full name is Dylan Russell Lenell, and I have three sisters, a mom, a dad. I recently graduated from college as an engineering major, and I have been looking for a job since I've graduated last year. No luck yet, but I'm hoping to find something soon. When I was just eight years old, I was diagnosed with Diabetes and I've had to cope with that for my whole life. There isn't really much more to tell about myself, since the rest is pretty boring. Not only that. I want to hear a little bit about you."

        "Well. I must say that you're very interesting actually. But here I go. My full name is Lauren Michelle Jauregui, and I have one brother, one sister, and two parents. I've also recently graduated from college, and I'm currently working as Camila's caretaker. She's blind, so she needs someone to be there for her so she can get some assistance throughout the day. We've actually grown really close together over the past week, and I guess you could say that we're best friends now. Also, I'm not exactly straight. I've decided that I am actually pan-sexual and I don't love someone based off of what genitalia they have." she explained.

        He laughed at her pan-sexual remark, which caused her to raise her left eyebrow in confusion. When he stopped, he noticed the expression that she was giving him, and he explained why.

        "Sorry, it's just that I didn't think I would find someone else like me. I'm pans too." he smiled.

        "Really? That's wonderful! Finally someone I can relate to!" she exclaimed happily.

        They both erupted into laughter, and decided that they should probably look over the menu before the waitress arrived at their table with their drinks. When she had arrived with their drinks, they had already picked out what they were going to get. Lauren ordered a New York Strip Steak with french fries and broccoli, while Dylan ordered some steak tips with mashed potatoes and carrots. After writing down their orders, the waitress walked off to go and put the order in.

        Lauren took a sip of her water and remembered that Dylan had ordered a Diet Coke instead of a regular one. She didn't know what to say, so she used that knowledge to bring up a new conversation. 

        "So... Diet Coke? Why not regular Coca-Cola?" she asked.

        "When you're a Diabetic, you have to watch how much sugar you intake. With Diet Coke, you don't have to worry since it is a sugarless beverage. It's really nifty that most drinks have a diet alternative." he explained.

        "Ah, I see." 

        "So... water? Why not soda?" he joked, causing them both to laugh. "I'm just kidding, Lauren. So what's on your mind?"

        As much as she wanted to admit her feelings about Camila, she kept them to herself. "I'm just thinking about my friend. I wanted to apologize, though. She has been on my mind since I dropped her off at home, and I just want to know if she's okay."

        "It's fine, don't worry." he smiled politely. "Let's get things on a lighter note! What do you like to on dates?"

        She agreed that things needed to be on a lighter note, indeed. Then she responded, "I like the movies. And fro-yo... definitely fro-yo. Um, I like concerts too."

        "Concerts?" he asked. "What kind?"

        "Well, I've always wanted to see Lana Del Rey live. It's my dream to meet her, even though I probably never will."

        "Lana Del Rey, huh? I think your dream may come true eventually. Just don't give up hope! She'd be lucky to meet you. Anyone would be."

        Lauren just smiled at his kind words, then took another sip of water. As they waited for their food, they talked about each other's interests. Many of these including music, foods, and even clothing stores. She actually made a few remarks about how he dressed like pretty much every adult male in the area, and he told her that next time he'd wear something less boring. Lauren managed to actually forget her problems while she talked with him. 

        When their food came, they dove right into their meals. It was one of the best meals that Lauren had ever tasted, and she even considered this as her new favorite place to go for dinner. That's when she started to think about Camila again. Lauren thought that she would have loved to go there with her sometime, and she would probably take her out sometime that following week. At least, if they were still on good terms.

        After they had finished their dinner, Lauren checked her phone to see that she had a text from Camila that came in about half an hour ago. She unlocked her phone, and clicked on the text messages icon. As she did these actions, Lauren felt so nervous to read what the message had said. The text read: " _Lauren, please help_   _me. It's urgent._ " She questioned why and how Camila had sent a text, but that was the least of her worries. _  
_

Instantly, Lauren looked up at Dylan with a terrified expression. He had a look of confusion on his face as she did this, and began to worry.

        "What's the matter?" he asked.

        "It's Camila. She texted me saying that she needs my help."

        "Help? Like right now? Is she okay?" 

        "I don't know. I'm sorry to cut out date so short, as I assumed you had something else planned, but she needs me urgently. Could we please ask for the check and get to her house quickly?" Lauren questioned.

        "Of course. We could probably just pay for our meals up front. Let's go." he said, standing up. 

        Lauren got up too, then they proceeded to pay their check up front along with a tip for their waitress. Together, they ran out of the restaurant and to the car. After buckling up, Dylan started the car and drove off into the night. As they drove to Camila's, all of the possible scenarios rushed through Lauren's mind. She was terrified that something really bad happened, and all she could do was hope and pray that it wasn't as bad as she was envisioning.


	8. Chapter Seven

        After speeding to Camila's house, Lauren asked Dylan to stay behind and bolted off towards her front door. So many thoughts went through her mind as she ran. What happened to Camila? Was she okay? Was she hurt? She burst through the door in hysterical rage, looking around the house frantically.

        "Camila?! CAMILA?!" she called for her, with tears streaming down her face.

        "Lauren?!" Camila answered. "I'm in the living room!"

        Lauren rushed into the living room to see Camila doubled over in pain while clutching her right arm. Camila was sitting on the bottom step of the stairs that led to the second floor, and Lauren quickly took a spot next to her on the steps. She was grateful that Camila was not in any life-threatening danger, even though she did happen to get hurt.

        "What happened? Did you fall down the stairs?" Lauren asked.

        "How'd you guess?"

        "Well you are pretty klutzy, Camila. We should get you to the hospital to get you checked out."

        "Aren't you a nurse, Lauren? Couldn't you just do it?" she asked.

        "Yes, but I can't tell you anything about your arm just by examining it. You'll need to get an x-ray to know for sure what is wrong. I wouldn't be able to treat you with my kind of materials anyways. I'm a care-taking type of nurse, not an RN." Lauren explained with a frown, standing back up. "Dylan is going to take us to the hospital, I'm sure. I'm just going to have you stand up, okay? I'll lead you to his car."

        "Dylan? You mean the nice boy from the competition sign-ups? That Dylan?" she asked. "I don't want to go anymore. I'll just deal with the pain without a doctor's assistance. I should be fine."

        Lauren was confused. What did Camila have against him? She just told her that he was nice, but is saying she doesn't want to ride with him. Dylan was a really nice guy, and Lauren could honestly see him as a good friend in the future.

        "What's the deal with him? Do you not trust him driving?" Lauren asked.

        "It's not that. I just don't want to go anymore." Camila lied.

        "Camila. You're lying. Just come with us, please."

        "No!" she shouted.

        "No? If your arm is broken it could heal wrong if you don't get it checked out now!"

        "I don't want to go!" Camila yelled, like a child that didn't want to go to school.

        Lauren grabbed onto Camila's good arm and tugged lightly to try to get her to move. She didn't even budge, except to rip her arm free and use it to hold onto her hurt one. Camila sat down on the bottom step again, then stared off into blank space. Literally. 

        "Camila, I really don't understand what the whole deal is. Are you afraid of the doctors? If that's it, we can get through this together." Lauren said, trying to convince her to go.

        "Who? You, me, and your boyfriend?" she asked angrily.

        Lauren walked over to that space next to her on the steps, then took a seat. She finally understood why Camila didn't want to go.

        "Camila... Dylan is not my boyfriend. I don't plan on being with him. We're just friends, nothing more. Why are you so hurt over this?" Lauren asked Camila.

        "Because," she began with a tear rolling down her face. "I know I sound kind of possessive, Lauren, but I don't have any other friends. If you got a boyfriend, then I wouldn't see you as often. Aside from my family, you're all I have. When I pretty much gave you away to Dylan earlier, I was pissed and upset about it afterwards. It's in my mindset that couples spend so much time together, and if you two decided to go steady, I began to think about what would become of us. I care about you, Lauren... so, so much. It is my biggest fear to lose you, and I understand if you hate me now for being so idiotic."

        "I don't hate you, Camila. I never could and I never will. You have a special place in my heart, and honestly, my biggest fear is losing you too. If you were gone, I would go into insanity. Just so you know, when you texted me saying you needed help urgently, I literally played a bunch of scenarios in my head about what was going on. It scared me to assume the worst, and I just don't want you to leave me. We have a bond that I didn't have with Vero, Brad, or anyone. You are special to me, Camila." Lauren explained, sincerely.

        "Do you really mean that, Lauren? Were you upset when I gave you away to Dylan earlier?"

        "Yes, I was. More confused, rather. But, I won't spend any less time with you than I already do now. I assure you of that." 

        Camila smiled at that, then wiped her fallen tears off of her face.

        "Now, Camila." Lauren began, standing up. "Will you please accompany me to the hospital? Dylan can wait in the car."

        "I would like that." she responded, holding her good hand out to Lauren as a gesture that she wanted help standing up.

        Lauren took Camila's hand to help her up, and continued to hold it as they left the house and walked out to Dylan's car. Dylan saw them walking out and shot Lauren a confused glance. She motioned to him to roll down his car window so she could tell him what was going on. He did so.

        "What's going on?" he asked, leaning his elbow on the place where the window would be if it were rolled up.

        "Camila fell down the stairs and hurt her arm. Could you bring us to the hospital?"

        "Absolutely! Come right on in!" he said, happily to do them a favor.

        "Thank you!" Lauren said with a smile.

        She helped Camila get into the back seat of the car, helping her get buckled in without hurting her arm any further. Lauren climbed into the back seat with her, according to her wishes, then got buckled in herself. After checking that they were in correctly, Dylan pulled away from the curb and headed off to the South Miami Hospital. 

        During the ride, they all sat in silence without any music. The whole ride was filled with an awkward tension between the three after the whole issue that Lauren and Camila had in the house. It took them about twenty minutes to actually get to the hospital, but like five to get a parking spot in the ER, which indicated how busy it was tonight. Camila would have been lucky to get in within the next three hours.

        "Sorry, Dylan. It's packed here tonight, and we might be here for a while." Lauren apologized.

        "That's totally okay. I'd do anything for a couple of friends." he responded sweetly.

        Friends. Lauren was relieved to hear that word. She didn't want to deal with him trying to go out with her or anything. Honestly, he was someone that she would want to hang out with as just a friend. Plus, she realized her feelings for Camila and she was just content with having her secret little crush on her for now.

        After they had parked and entered the ER, they went up to the lady at the front desk to explain what had happened and to get Camila on the waiting list to be seen by a doctor.

        "Hi, how may I help you?" the lady asked them.

        "Well this is Karla Cabello." Lauren began. "She fell down the stairs and hurt her arm, and we wanted to get it checked out. We are unaware of if it is broken, fractured, or what."

        "That's pretty klutzy." she laughed, even causing Camila to laugh a little at her true words.

        "Karla is blind. So you can kind of see how it may have happened."

        "Oh, I see. She should probably consider a one-story house then, huh?"

        "No, that's too easy." Camila butted in.

        They all erupted into laughter, and the lady passed a piece of paper to Lauren.

        "Well, one of you needs to fill out her information so we can get her on the waiting list, alright?" she smiled.

        "I will." Lauren smiled.

        The lady nodded and gave Lauren a pen to use. They all were lucky enough to find three seats right next to each other among all of the people that had been waiting. Lauren began to fill out the sheet, without having to ask Camila a thing about herself. 

        "Do you need me to tell you anything for the information sheet? Like, personal or medical information?" Camila asked her.

        "Nope, not a thing. Keep in mind that I'm being paid to take care of you, and that I have complete access to your medical files. I've done my research." she answered.

        "Oh." was all she could say, slightly upset about being reminded that Lauren was being paid to be with her all the time.

        Lauren finished the informational sheet, then got up to bring it to the lady. As she talked to the lady about what would happen next, Camila decided to ask Dylan some questions about his feelings towards Lauren since she was so curious.

        "So, Dylan." Camila began. "What were you and Lauren up to tonight?"

        "I took her out to dinner at this new place downtown. We pretty much spent our time getting to know each other." he answered.

        "That's nice of you. I hope you paid for her." she half-joked.

        He laughed a little and said, "I did, don't worry Camila."

        "Very good. Do you like Lauren? Like, do you like-like her?"

        "Um, I..." he trailed off. "I've only known her for one day, so it's hard to tell what my feelings are at this moment."

        "I understand. Like, you called her a friend in the car. I wasn't sure if you were seeing her as more than a friend or not. Sorry for the questions. I just-" he cut her off.

        "Like her? Is that why you're asking me all of this stuff?"

        "I just wanted to know." she evaded the first question.

        "Well, Lauren is on her way back over here. I won't speak a word of this conversation, I swear." he said sincerely with a smile.

        "Thank you, Dylan." she replied.

        Lauren made her way back over to them, then asked, "What were you guys talking about over here?"

        "We were just..." Camila trailed off.

        "Getting to know each other." Dylan said, helping Camila come up with a cover-up for what they were actually talking about. 

        "Okay, you two." she laughed it off. "Now the lady at the front desk says we might get in earlier than most of the people here."

        "How did we manage that?" Dylan asked.

        "Because," Camila began. "since I am blind, they have it on file that I can get in quickly. They tend to do that with the disabled at this hospital, which is nice, because they know that we all need help when we ask for it. Also, they know that we tend to hurt ourselves more often, so they try to get us in first. This has happened many times before." 

        "That's pretty much what the lady said as well." Lauren said, taking her seat between the two of them. "She also said that we only have to wait at most twenty minutes."

        "What a relief. I thought we'd be here forever." Camila laughed, then cringed in pain.

        "Are you alright?" Lauren asked. "Is it your arm?"

        "Yeah, it's a spiking pain every now and then." she explained.

        "Don't worry, we'll find out what's wrong soon."

        Camila just nodded, and they all waited for her to be called in. During the wait, they pretty much just watched the news station that was playing on the television in the room. It wasn't a long wait, however, because a nurse opened a door and called her name. Lauren and Camila got up together, and turned to face Dylan.

        "Would it be okay if you stayed out here?" Lauren asked. "We hopefully won't be too long."

        "Of course. I wouldn't feel comfortable going in anyways, since I don't know Camila all too well." he explained with a small smile.

        "Thank you." she said, returning a smile.

        Together, they walked through the door that was held open for them, and the nurse shut it behind them. She led the two of them into a small room with a bed and a chair. Camila sat on the bed, and Lauren in the chair.

        "The doctor will be right in to see you, Ms. Cabello." the nurse told her, then walked out.

        "Lauren." Camila said.

        "Camila." Lauren responded.

        "How did your date go tonight? I forgot to ask."

        "It went okay. I think I'm going to tell Dylan that I just want to be friends, though. He's sweet and all, but he just doesn't seem like my cup of tea, you know? The place he took me to makes a mean steak, though." she explained.

        Camila giggled, then said, "Maybe you want to take me there sometime?"

        "I actually planned on it." she answered truthfully.

        "How about tomorrow night? Are you free?"

        "Even if I wasn't I would drop anything to take you." 

        Camila smiled, then said, "Cool. So, I have a proposition that might make our current situation easier. Since there is a big possibility of my arm being broken, I won't be able to do much with one arm, especially considering that I hurt my dominant arm. I'm probably going to need more help than usual, and I'll need you around all the time. Would you want to be a live-in nurse? Like, you could move in? I have a spare room that you could use. You don't have to, but it's just something I was thinking about."

        "I think that is a wonderful idea, and I definitely agree that you'll probably be needing more help around the house. When would you like me to move in? And how long would you want me to stay?" she said, smiling.

        "You can start moving in tomorrow. You'll only need to stay until my arm is usable again, however long that takes. So it's not a permanent thing." Camila explained.

        "Alright." Lauren replied happily. "I look forward to finally having a room mate. Even if it isn't forever. Living alone is not a fun time."

        After the doctor finally came in, he took an x-ray and found that Camila had broken her arm in several places and she would need a cast for about six to eight weeks. He set up several appointments with her to get continuous insights of how she was healing up. It was mentioned that he would begin to set up physical therapy appointments for her on their last check-up, so she could learn to move her arm around correctly again. When she was finally put into a cast and a sling, they departed the hospital along with Dylan.

        On their ride home, they told him about what the deal was with her arm. He said that he was relieved that she wouldn't need to get surgery for it, and the girls both agreed that it definitely could have been worse. Lauren instructed Dylan to bring them to her house so she could get her car, so she wouldn't be stranded at Camila's without a car. She decided that she would stay the night at Camila's once they got there because she was exhausted. After all, Lauren had to get used to sleeping there if she was going to move in with Camila.


	9. Chapter Eight

        After their very eventful evening, Camila and Lauren finally arrived back at Camila's house. By the time they got back, it was almost midnight and the two were drained. Lauren helped Camila get ready for bed by finding her pyjamas, putting toothpaste on her toothbrush, and even preparing her a small plate of grilled cheese since Camila hadn't eaten anything for dinner. When Camila had finished brushing her teeth, she dismissed Lauren and let her get ready for bed herself. Luckily for Lauren, she was able to grab some bedtime essentials and an outfit for the following day when she was dropped off with Camila at her house. 

        Lauren dressed in her pyjamas, brushed her teeth, then relocated herself into the spare bedroom that had already been prepared for a guest. The room was a lovely tan color, which matched the bedroom set nicely. She assumed that this was because Camila wanted to make a room nice for a guest that can actually see it and enjoy the decor. Lauren liked it, as well as the bed that was so soft, that she felt like she was laying on top of a cloud in the sky. She could easily fall asleep, but with Camila in the next room, she couldn't help but lay there and think about her.

        She thought about all of the things she liked about Camila, even though they couldn't be together at this moment in time. Lauren thought about her higher-pitched, raspy laugh that made her heart skip a beat. She loved the way that both Camila's talking and singing voices were so distinct and so valuable, that they could be heard above anyone else's. Camila's long, dark brown hair that flowed down her back really got Lauren going. Especially her eyes... those greyish-white orbs that sparkled in the light were so beautiful. No one had eyes like her. Camila was just a very uniquely perfect woman that really made Lauren feel wanted all the time. There was never one person in Lauren's life that had been so powerful, so beautiful, so... flawless.

        Even though Lauren's mind was racing with these thoughts, she knew that she would have to be well-rested tomorrow for the big move. Lauren closed her eyes, then drifted off into a deep sleep. Over the course of the night, she tossed and turned due to not being home in her own bed. It was a restless sleep for Lauren, who was jealous of Camila, who was probably sleeping very well in the next room. 

        Nightmares also came to Lauren that night when she actually managed to get to sleep. All of them had something to do with Camila. One nightmare had to do with Lauren choosing Dylan over her, and she deeply regretted it later when she had gotten married to him. Another was Camila strolling away from her on a walk they were taking, and she ended up getting hit by a bus that was unable to stop in time. The final nightmare, which killed her, involved Camila firing her and telling her that she wanted nothing to do with her. That was the worst of all for Lauren. Her biggest fear is to lose the person that meant the most to her, and she refused to let that happen.

        Early the next morning, Lauren was awoken by Camila, who was shaking her arm with much force. Lauren, who was almost pushed off the bed, questioned how Camila was able to do this with just one arm.

        "Camila?! What the—?!" Lauren screamed, getting cut off by Camila.

        "I needed your help with something, Lauren." 

        "What time is it?"

        "It's about four o'clock in the morning."

        "Do you always get up this early, Camila?" Lauren questioned.

        "No, but I couldn't sleep. Would be okay to be up this early? I'd like someone to talk to." she explained.

        "You haven't slept all night?"

        "No. Have you?" Camila asked.

        "Not really, no. I kept having nightmares."

        "Well I can talk you through them if you'd like?" She smiled, causing Lauren to as well. "Come with me."

        Lauren did as she was told and climbed out of bed. Camila led her down to the kitchen, trying not to fall the whole time due to a lack of sleep. 

        "Maybe we should make coffee?" Lauren asked.

        "I was just going to ask if you could brew some? We're going to need it considering we didn't sleep. Plus, you're moving some stuff in today, so you'll need some form of energy." she explained.

        According to Camila's wishes, she prepared everything for a new pot of coffee and let it begin to brew. Lauren noticed Camila sitting down at the kitchen table with her head resting on her good arm. She took a seat next to her and began to rub her back.

        "Camila, why did you have trouble sleeping?" she managed to ask.

        "I've been thinking."

        "About what, may I ask?"

        "Um..." she trailed off. "I don't know."

        Lauren raised an eyebrow in confusion and said, "You're lying. Come on, you can tell me anything. We're friends aren't we?"

        Camila lifted her head and replied, "It's weird, Lauren. I don't know how to explain it. My feelings are all jumbled up. I've asked you to live here, but I'm not sure if that's actually what's best for me."

        "Why not?" Lauren asked, kind of hurt by what Camila was saying.

        "It's just... I don't know. As much as I'd like you to be here to help me all the time, I haven't been able to sleep since you started helping me out. I've been thinking about you all night, every night."

        "I'm not sure I completely understand, Camila."

        "I don't understand it either. As I said, my feelings are jumbled, and I can't control them anymore. What I'm trying to say, Lauren, is that I think we need a break from each other. I think we're actually hurting each other emotionally. I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure how, but we've had an effect on each other. Most are positive, however, I think we spend too much time together. These have been my thoughts since yesterday."

        "Do you not like me, Camila? Are you trying to say that we shouldn't be friends anymore? Are you firing me? You need help, Camila. You can't do much without two usable arms." Lauren blurted out, with tears forming in her eyes.

        "I still like you, and you're not getting fired. We are very much still friends, as I don't want to lose you. Don't worry though, I'll ask my mother to come down sometimes, and I can manage most things if I try. It just feels like I'm holding you back. Dylan likes you a lot, and I can tell it. Even though he told me that he was unsure since he just met you, I get the vibe that he wants to be with you. You should have more time with him, is what I guess I'm trying to say. The both of you seem to have a lot going for you." she explained.

        "Camila... I don't have those kind of feelings towards him. My eyes are on someone else, who has had my heart for a longer time. Until that person tells me to leave and tells me that they hate me, I will never stop liking them. Not even that will make me stop liking them, because they mean everything to me."

        "That's beautiful, Lauren. You should tell this person."

        "I would. I'm just afraid of rejection. It also goes against a certain code that I abide by." Lauren admitted truthfully, as she shook nervously.

        "I'm sorry. That person will really miss out on a woman who has a heart of gold. He or she will never know what they could be kissing and holding all night and day. I honestly feel bad for that person." Camila frowned.

        A tear rolled down Lauren's face and she said, "How long do you want me gone for? I hate to change the subject."

        "Not too long, Lauren. I was only thinking like a week if it's okay? I'll call if I want you to come back sooner. Try spending more time with Dylan, though. I know you like someone else, but maybe you can get over this person with a little work. One of the best ways to get over someone is to date someone else."

        "True. I'm just going to miss being here every day." 

        "I will miss you too, Lauren. Unfortunately, this is probably what we have to do for now. Just don't you think for a second that I love you any less than I did when we first became friends. Maybe even more." Camila said as the coffee maker made a high-pitched beeping noise, indicating that the coffee was done.

        Lauren's heart jumped when Camila said 'I love you' in the sentence. Although, she assumed it was a mistake or that she just meant it in the friendly way. 

        "I'm sorry." Camila apologized. "I didn't mean—"

        "I know." Lauren cut her off, standing up to go pour two cups of coffee.

        She pulled two mugs out from the cabinet, then placed them on the counter to pour the coffee. Next, she put in some milk and sugar and brought the mugs over to the table, where Camila rested her head on her good arm again.

        "I feel like I've upset you. I meant to say 'like' not 'love.' I'm not crushing on you, don't worry." she apologized again.

        "Oh. Great. I was taking it as a friendly thing, not a crush thing." Lauren lied.

        "Okay."

        They both sat and drank their coffees in silence, unable to think of a word to say to each other after that awkward discussion. Lauren knew that she'd have to leave after her coffee, even though she didn't want to. She had so many things to say to Camila, and she wanted to beg to stay, but she didn't want to provoke an argument or bring up anymore weird subjects. Lauren just accepted the fact that she'd have to go a week without seeing the love of her life for at most a week, and she hoped that Camila would call sooner and ask for her to return.

        When the mugs were empty, Lauren picked them up and washed them in the sink. After drying them, she left Camila with her head down on the table to go gather her things from last night. She grabbed her toothbrush, clothes, and various other things that she took with her.

        To Lauren, this seemed like the end of a relationship where she was packing up all of her stuff, ready to leave for good. This wasn't like that, considering she wouldn't be gone for too long. It was only a week and maybe less. She felt awful about the whole thing, and she thought it was her fault. If she hadn't gotten involved with Dylan, maybe this wouldn't have happened. He was a nice guy, and didn't intentionally do anything, but Lauren was beginning to think that he was the reason that drama sparked between her and Camila. Ever since he handed off his number to her, Camila hadn't been happy. Lauren had a small shred of hope that maybe Camila was upset because she may have regretted putting them together in the beginning. 

        When packed, Lauren walked down to the kitchen to see Camila in the same position. Lauren walked up to her, hearing small sobs coming from the smaller girl. She couldn't just leave her like this, so she decided to ask what was wrong.

        "Camila." Lauren touched her hand to her back. "Are you alright? I was just about to leave, but I can't if you're that upset about this."

        "No, you can go." she whimpered.

        "Are you sure? I care about you, and I can't leave unless I know that you're okay."

        "I'm fine, Lauren." she replied, getting angry.

        "Camila—" Lauren was cut off when Camila looked up at her with a red face and tears streaming down her face like a waterfall.

        "Just go, Lauren! Or I won't call for you to come back!" she yelled angrily, then stopped sobbing for a second.

        Without another word, Lauren walked out of the kitchen. She only turned back once to see that Camila had broken down again, then left the house to her car where she did the exact same. 


	10. Chapter Nine

        Lauren was awoken late that night by the loud crack of thunder, followed by the bright beauty that was lightning. It was storming uncontrollably outside, causing tons of racket that prevented her from sleeping. Another thing that had awoken her was the sound of her phone buzzing on her bedside table. A bunch of distractions came to Lauren all at one time, but she decided to reach for her phone which was vibrating like mad.

        The bright screen almost blinded her as she opened her eyes to see what the deal was, since she was in a dark room for so long. Lit up across the screen, she read 'Incoming call from Camila Cabello.' Even though Lauren was extremely tired due to today's argument with her, she was still working for her, and she had to answer the call. For all she knew, Camila could be in danger or in pain.

        She selected the answer button and asked into the speaker, "Camila?"

        On the other line, Lauren heard quiet sobs. Camila was crying again, and it took her a few minutes to actually manage to say something. Lauren waited patiently, trying not to fall back asleep, until Camila finally spoke.

        "Lauren?" she cried.

        "What's the matter?"

        There was a long pause, but Camila answered, "The storm. It's upsetting me. Can you come here?"

        "But Camila—"

        "Forget about this morning alright? We can talk about it when you get here. Please be careful driving, it seems very dangerous. I just don't like to be alone during thunderstorms." she explained.

        "Okay. I'll be right over." Lauren groaned, not even thinking about what she just said.

        She ended the call, then put her phone back down on the bedside table again. It took her a minute to realize that she just agreed to drive through a thunderstorm just to be with Camila during it, even though she told her to go away for about a week. Lauren knew that it would be a dangerous drive, but she was willing to risk anything for Camila. Her love was too strong to turn down such a wish. 

        Lauren rolled out of bed and grabbed her phone off of the table. She decided against getting into normal clothes because it was midnight, and Camila would probably ask that she stayed the night again. It was unclear to her whether or not Camila wanted her to come back full-time again or just for tonight, but she was going to go anyways. 

        The only few things that she grabbed on her way out of the house was her phone charger, a jacket, and her sneakers. She walked out into the pouring rain, where she was soaked immediately, and ran towards her car that was parked in the driveway. It took her a second to recollect herself, then she took a deep breath, buckled herself in, and started the car. The rain was coming down fast and hard enough for her to need to put the windshield wipers on the highest option, and she knew that she would need to keep her high beams on if she wanted to get there in one piece. She also turned on the radio, which played the song 'Style' by Taylor Swift, because music had always calmed her down when she was driving through a storm.

        Carefully, she backed out of her driveway while looking to see if there were any signs of a car coming, then got onto the road safely. Lauren drove much slower than the speed limit, so she was sure not to crash into anything. There was also an insane amount of flooding going on, which made her feel tense.

        What was usually a ten minute drive to Camila's, took about twenty. Even if it had taken a much longer time to get there, Lauren was relieved when she finally pulled into her driveway safely and was able to turn her car off. She took another deep breath and unbuckled her seat belt. Next, Lauren bolted out of her car and up the front steps into Camila's house. 

        Nervously, she walked into the living room where she found Camila sitting on the couch holding her legs into her chest with her good arm. Camila had tears falling out of her eyes, that continued to stain her cheeks. It hurt Lauren to see such a beautiful girl like her in so much emotional pain.

        "Lauren?" she sniffled. "Is that you?"

        She stepped closer to the couch and replied, "Yes, it's me. I'm sorry that it took so long, I—"

        "I'm just glad that you got her safely. Please sit, if you want to anyways."

        Lauren nodded and said, "Okay."

        Camila readjusted herself on the couch, where she was sitting normally and upright. She patted a spot next to her, motioning for Lauren to sit, and she did so. They sat in complete silence for about a minute, before Lauren decided that it was time that she said something.

        "So, why did you call me here?" she asked.

        Camila answered, "I wanted to apologize for earlier. Honestly, I don't want you to stop coming here every day. I've just been feeling like I'm getting in the way of your social and personal life, since you come here every day. It also occurred to me earlier when you left that I was asking too much of you. I had asked you if you wanted to move in with me to work all of the time, but then I realized how greedy that was to want you all to myself. Just because you're my only friend doesn't mean I'm your only friend. Also, I felt like I was guilt-tripping you into moving in. I just wanted to ask if you'd still like to come here every day as usual? If not, I understand, but this is what kept me awake for these past two nights."

        "Oh, Camila. When you asked me to move in, I was more than happy to do so. Not because you felt like you guilt-tripped me, but because I wanted to. You aren't getting in the way of anything. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you're the most important person in my life right now, and I would stop at nothing to come and make you feel one-hundred percent. Dylan isn't in love with me or anything either. I've talked to him over the phone today, and we both agreed to just be friends. It wasn't a me decision, it was both of us. I told him about my love for another person, and he said that he loved someone else as well. The both of us were simply just trying to get over someone else. It didn't work for either of us. And to answer your question, yes, I will come here every day. If you want, I'll even move in. How's that for an answer?" Lauren told Camila.

        A huge smile widened across her face when she heard these words from Lauren, and she embraced her in a hug with her good arm. Lauren reciprocated the hug, and smiled just the same. They stayed in the position for about three minutes, when they finally separated and just smiled at each other.

        "That was beautiful, and I don't think anyone has ever said anything so kind to me." Camila explained. "If that's what you want to do, Lauren, you can start moving in when the morning comes. I'd be more than happy to have you here. I also want to thank you for coming during this storm."

        Lauren jumped suddenly at the lightning that struck outside, and Camila gave a bewildered look to her.

        "Why'd you jump?" she asked.

        "The lightning scared me." Lauren laughed.

        Camila frowned and said, "Oh."

        "What's wrong? And what's so upsetting about a storm? I think they're calming."

        "The lightning."

        Lauren was taken aback by this, and questioned her, "I'm at a loss, Camila. You're blind, and you can't even see shades of light. How can you be upset by lightning? Please explain."

        "All of my life I've wanted to see lightning, like, it was the only thing that I've truly ever wanted to see since I was a little girl. Everyone always talks about how pretty it is, and it drives me nuts. Like, the one thing that people say is most beautiful is lightning, and it bothers me that I will never be able to understand why. I want to see it so badly. Whenever I hear the roar of thunder in the distance, I just get upset that yet another storm with that beautiful lightning is passing by. I wish there was a way for me to see those electrical sparks that everyone talks about. Lauren, can you show me lightning?"

        "How?" 

        "Remember how you perfectly seemed to describe me? Do that, only with lightning. Please." Camila begged.

        "Um, it's... I can't explain it other than it being a flash of blue, white, or yellow light that brightens up the night sky. I'm afraid that it's something that I'll be unable to describe without the use of colors and shades." she frowned, and Camila did the same.

        "I really wish that there was a way that you could show me those sparks flying."

        Without thinking, Lauren replied, "I can make sparks fly for you."

        "Do it. I don't care how. Just, please." Camila said.

        Lauren slowly touched her lips to Camila's, expecting to get slapped, but instead felt Camila's arm snake around the back of her neck. This caused the kiss to be more than the light peck on her lips that Lauren was planning on giving her in the first place. Lauren's whole body began to tingle with pleasure as the kiss continued, and she knew that if she hadn't stopped soon, she would probably not be able to end it.

        Camila released her arm from Lauren's shoulders and they both pulled away at the same time, realizing what had just happened. Lauren felt afraid for whatever Camila was going to say next. She thought that she was actually getting into it with her, but she wasn't so sure.

        "Did that work?" Lauren asked, nervously.

        "Yes. I have to say that it did." she paused. "Let's get some sleep, shall we?" 

        "Sure, I'm pretty tired." Lauren answered, relieved that she hadn't brought up what just happened. 

        Together, they stood up and Lauren led Camila up the stairs. As Lauren walked, she knew that they would have to address the kiss at some point, but she was glad that it wasn't now. She got Camila's pyjamas all ready for her, then went to the bathroom where she set up Camila's toothbrush. When she had finished changing, Camila went to the bathroom and began to brush her teeth.

        "Do you have everything settled, Camila?" Lauren asked her.

        Camila nodded with her toothbrush in her mouth, then Lauren went into the spare bedroom and got under the covers of the bed. Before falling asleep, she noticed that her lips were still tingling from when she and Camila had shared a kiss. This was a feeling that Lauren could honestly feel for the rest of her life. As she closed her eyes finally, she was startled by a weight on the other side of the bed. She rolled over to see that Camila was on the edge of the bed sitting upright.

        "Camila?" Lauren asked through the darkness of the room.

        "Lauren?"

        "You know that this is the spare bedroom, right?"

        "Yes, I know." she said matter-of-factly. "I have a question."

        "I have an answer."

        "Are we a thing now?"

        Lauren's heart stopped at the question, and all she could think to answer was, "I don't have an answer. That's something that I honestly don't know about."

        "Why is that? Is it because of that person you like? Or that code that you go by?" Camila asked.

        "Mhm." Lauren hummed.

        "Oh. Well, I'll see you in the morning, Lauren. Have a good night."

        "Good night, Camila." she replied, as she closed her eyes.

        Lauren was way too tired to make that type of decision now, and she preferred to make it when she was awake and alert after a good night's rest. Pretty much the only thing getting in the way of Lauren actually saying yes to that question was her morals as a nurse. It didn't actually go against a rule, but it was just a moral that was drilled into her brain during nursing courses. She had a life-changing decision to make, and she didn't know how she was going to go about it. Since she was sleepy, Lauren went right to sleep as soon as Camila had left the room.


	11. Chapter Ten

        Lauren woke up the next morning feeling completely energized from the kiss that she shared with Camila the previous night. She sprang out of bed, then checked the time on the analog clock that sat on the bedside table to see that it was eight o'clock on the dot. After making the bed, she walked with a skip in her step towards the kitchen downstairs to make a fresh pot of coffee. As she passed by Camila's room, Lauren saw that she was still asleep in bed, which gave her the opportunity to surprise her with a coffee in bed.

        When she arrived in the kitchen, Lauren gathered everything that she needed to make coffee, then prepared the pot to start brewing it. The coffee only took about three minutes to brew enough for one cup, so she poured it into one of the mugs that she had set out for her and Camila, then put some milk and two spoonfuls of sugar into it as well. While she waited for the remaining coffee to brew, she brought Camila's steaming cup of coffee up to her room, being careful not to spill it.

        Camila was still asleep when she walked in, so Lauren put the cup of coffee down on her bedside table. She gave Camila a little shake, which woke her up instantly. Then she carefully rolled over to face Lauren, being very careful not to roll over her arm. 

        "Lauren? Is that coffee I smell?" she asked with a tired smile.

        Lauren hummed, "Mhm."

        Camila sat up in bed, then Lauren passed the cup of coffee over to her. She thanked Lauren gratefully, then took a sip, smiling at this nice gesture. Lauren took a seat on the edge of the bed and admired her as she continued to take small sips of coffee, trying not to intake took much hot coffee at once. She loved the way that Camila crinkled her nose whenever she accidentally drank too much, and how she giggled whenever the steam from the coffee traveled up her nostrils. Camila was so beautiful, and it was driving Lauren crazy.

        Then Lauren remembered something, she kissed Camila. That was something that she had been longing to do since she first got to know her. Lauren's face immediately lit up in remembrance of last night's events, and felt her lips regain the same tingling sensation that they had after the kiss had taken place. These thoughts caused her to laugh, which drew a mystified look upon Camila's face. Camila ended up ignoring it, and went right back to sipping her coffee.

        It occurred to Lauren that she had also turned down Camila last night. She instantly began to regret even rejecting her, since that was her chance to feel true happiness. Yes, it would go against her morals, but in the end, Lauren didn't really care. She wanted to be with Camila, and her heart was deeply set on that.

        "Camila?" Lauren asked.

        She hummed as she took another sip of coffee, "Hmm?"

        "You know how you asked me that question last night? You know, the 'are we a thing now?' question?"

        Camila finished the remainder of her coffee, then placed the empty mug on the bedside table before finally answering, "Yes."

        "Why did you ask? Did you want us to be a thing?"

        "Honestly," she paused, "I don't know. The last thing I want to do is get in between you and the person you like. It's just, the way you talk about him or her makes me really think that you're in love. I've never truly been in love, since no one will have me, but I'm pretty sure that you do love this person. As for that code that you go by, it must be a pretty important code for you to hold back you feelings. Also, us being a thing could possibly ruin our friendship forever if it didn't work out. If you know what I mean. I can't afford to lose you, Lauren, you're way too important to me. Would it be okay to drop this subject for now and just be friends?"

        "I—Okay." Lauren answered. "I'm going to go make my coffee now, alright? You can get dressed while I'm making it."

        "Okay."

        Lauren got up off of the bed, then went downstairs to the kitchen. As she made her own coffee, she felt indifferent about the situation. She really wanted to tell Camila that she was the one that she liked, but at the same time, she agreed that she couldn't lose Camila as a friend. It would hurt less to be rejected than to lose Camila as a friend forever. That would kill Lauren.

        When she had finished making her coffee, she sat down at the kitchen table and took small sips of it so she wouldn't scald her tongue. As she sipped her coffee, she glanced outside through the glass slider door that led to the backyard. The sun was shining brightly in the aftermath of the storm, which was sure to evaporate most of the puddles that were scattered everywhere in town due to flooding. There was not a single cloud in sight, which meant that today was going to be a beautiful day. It was amazing to Lauren how quickly a storm could end and leave a perfect day to follow up.

        "So how did you sleep, Lauren?" she heard Camila ask.

        She turned to face Camila, who was standing in front of the kitchen island. Lauren hadn't even noticed that she had come into the kitchen, since she was so caught up admiring the view outside.

        Lauren answered, "I slept like a rock. And you?" 

        "I slept very well." she replied, while putting her empty coffee mug in the sink.

        Camila began to rinse the mug with the sink spray hose with her only free arm. Her ability to still do some basic functions like this, blind and injured, still impressed Lauren. She was beginning to think that her stay at Camila's was not to actually help her physically, but mentally. Everything that she used to do with two usable arms, could be done with her one usable arm. 

        "It just occurred to me as I was getting dressed that I haven't properly thanked you for last night. You've managed to successfully show me what lightning looks like, and I have to say, it is beautiful. I've finally begun to grasp the concept of beauty, and that's something that a blind person usually can't understand. So Lauren, thank you for helping me see lightning. It was wonderful." she explained to Lauren.

        "Anytime, Camila. I'll always be more than happy to help you." Lauren smiled.

        Camila smiled more brightly than the sun that was shining outside, which gave Lauren the jitters as her smile usually had done. Lauren took another sip of coffee, then glanced outside again to admire its beauty. After realizing that it wasn't even as close to as beautiful as Camila, she turned to look at her again instead. She could never get sick of looking at her, and she could stare at her all day. Even though she wasn't in a relationship with Camila, she was still glad to have her in her life and be able to be with her gorgeous self every day. 

        Unexpectedly, Camila walked over to Lauren and felt for her to make sure that she was where Camila had thought she was. She placed a kiss on Lauren's cheek, which caused endorphins to shoot through her entire body and a smile to be forced upon her face. For a second, she was unable to move or speak, until she finally came back down to earth again.

        "What was that for?" Lauren finally managed to ask.

        Camila smiled at her and answered, "For being there for me when I need you the most. Thank you so much, Lauren."

        Lauren stood up and held Camila in a comfortable embrace and replied, "You're welcome, Camila. You're welcome."

        She rested her cheek on the top of Camila's head, and wished that she could be in that position forever. After about two minutes, they finally let go of each other and Lauren picked her coffee up off of the kitchen table. 

        "So what's the plan of action today? What do you want to do?" Lauren asked.

        Camila replied, "I want to do another puzzle. Want to help? You can choose which one we do."

        Lauren smiled and said, "Sure. Let's do it!"

        After Lauren had finished her coffee and washed out her mug, they walked out to the hallway and opened up the closet that was across the hall from the living room. Lauren looked through the puzzles and found one of them had a storm scene. She picked it up and noticed that it was a storm over New York City. Since it was probably the one that would make the most sense to Camila, Lauren picked it and shut the closet door.

        "Got one?" Camila asked.

        "Yup. I picked a one thousand piece puzzle of a thunderstorm over New York City. Since you saw lightning, I thought it would mean more to you if we did this one." she explained.

        "That's a wonderful idea, Lauren. Let's get started right away!" 

        Lauren followed an enthusiastic Camila into the living room, watching how she walked with a skip in her step. She really hoped that every day could be like today, when they were both happy and smiling without a single care in the world. Together, they sat down on the couch and opened the box, revealing all of the puzzle pieces. Camila dumped the box of pieces out on the now empty table that was cleared up while Lauren was at away.

        "So first things first, we gather up all of the edge pieces and put the inner pieces back in the box for now. It's always best to start with the border, since it tells the boundaries of the entire puzzle." Camila explained, as she placed the bottom of the empty box on her lap.

        "Okay." Lauren said, as she put the top of the empty box facing her so she knew what the puzzle looked like.

        The two of them rummaged through the large pile of one thousand pieces for all of the edge pieces, and it took them at least an hour to gather them all. Lauren split the edge pieces between her and Camila so that they could split the job of putting them together. As she put together her pieces, Lauren glanced over at Camila who had pretty much already finished getting the pieces together on her side that would go together. She glanced back down at her pile, and saw that she only had five pieces connected.

        "Camila, I'm a little slow at this compared to you. I think I'm the one who needs help." she laughed, and Camila joined in.

        Camila grabbed some of Lauren's pieces and started adding them onto the ends of the lines of pieces that she had already put together. Lauren was stunned by how quickly she was able to do this. She was actually a little insulted that a blind person was able to do a puzzle faster than she was, but Lauren didn't care because of how fascinating it was. 

        About ten minutes later, the two of them had successfully finished the puzzle's border and now had to do the inner pieces, which was the most tedious part of the process. Lauren and Camila each took a handful of puzzle pieces and started matching them up to other pieces that seemed to go in the same spot. Lauren separated the sky pieces, building pieces, and even the water pieces; then they eventually got to the point where they were able to start putting some pieces together. 

        At around noontime, Lauren left the living room to make some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, while Camila still sat at the coffee table putting together piece after piece. When she had returned with the sandwiches, she was not at all surprised that Camila had managed to get about forty pieces added on to the puzzle. Lauren sat beside her and handed Camila's plate of peanut butter and jelly over to her. 

        As they ate, they chatted about how well Camila was probably going to do during the puzzle competition. Camila said she was extremely confident that she could win, and Lauren had agreed. Also, they talked about how their auditions for ' _The Voice_ ' were coming up in about three weeks and how they haven't been practicing as much as they should have. Camila even suggested that as soon as the puzzle was done and Lauren had moved in, they would start having practice sessions together where they would give each other constructive criticism.

        When finished eating, Lauren collected the empty plates and headed off to the kitchen to get them all washed up. Camila continued to do the puzzle while she was gone, flying through it as she usually did. Lauren had returned to see that another thirty or so pieces had been added on to it. She was about to start working on the puzzle again when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

        "Were you expecting company, Camila?" Lauren asked.

        "No. Were you?"

        "I wouldn't be asking if I was." she laughed. "I'll go get it."

        Lauren stood up and walked to the front door. She opened it and saw an older woman with short, light brown hair and brown eyes. Lauren didn't recognize this woman, but she assumed that it must have been Camila's mother.

        "Hello. Is Camila in? I'm her mom, Sinuhe, but just call me Sinu. Are you her nurse Lauren?" she asked.

        "Yes I am, and Camila is home. We were just doing a puzzle together. Would you like to come in?"

        She nodded and Lauren let her in, shutting the door behind her. Sinu followed me into the living room where Camila was still chipping away at the puzzle. She stopped doing the puzzle when she heard them walk in.

        "Camila, your mom came to visit." Lauren told her.

        "Oh. Hi, mom." Camila said in a monotone voice.

        Lauren could sense some tension in Camila's voice, giving her the vibe that they had a very complicated mother-daughter relationship. She really didn't want to be a part of the whole family feud that she sensed was going on, but she didn't exactly want to walk out unless Camila asked her to.

        "What happened to your arm, Camila?" Sinu asked.

        "I fell down the stairs and broke it. I'm very klutzy as you know." 

        "Well, I've been thinking that maybe you should come back home and live with you dad, Sofi, and I. I think that you'll be better off just staying with family. I'm pretty sure this poor girl Lauren doesn't want to live here every day just to take care of you. Your father and I think that you should live at home with us so we won't have to spend money to pay for a nurse. We just think it's best for you."

        Camila stood up immediately and responded, "Mother, I am twenty-five years old. I think I know what's best for me. I'm not moving out, and I can handle living on my own. Lauren doesn't mind staying here, just ask her."

        Sinu gave a look of attitude towards Camila, then glanced over at Lauren to see if she was going to answer the question for her. Even though she would rather not get involved, she knew that she was obligated to answer.

        "I honestly don't mind at all. I've found that it's rather fun to have a roommate. Camila is more of a friend to me than a patient, and I wouldn't mind doing this for free." she explained.

        "Fine." Sinu replied, angrily. "I won't be paying for your services any longer, Lauren. I'll be seeing you, Camila."

        She stormed out of the house and slammed the front door closed. Lauren was shocked by Camila's mother's rage, and by the fact that she was now technically unemployed. When she said that she wouldn't mind doing it for free, she meant that in the sense that she loved her job and not that she'd actually do that. Lauren needed money to pay the expenses on her actual house. 

        Camila sat back down, continued to do the puzzle, then said, "Are you okay, Lauren? I didn't mean to drag you into the argument. My mother isn't exactly easy to deal with, and I just needed some back-up. I'm really sorry."

        "It's not that." Lauren said, sitting down. "It's just, when I said that I wouldn't mind doing this for free, I meant that in the sense that I enjoyed working for you. I never actually meant that I would do it for free. Even though I am living here for some time, I still need to pay for my actual house. Without a job, I can't afford it. I'll need to find a new one in order to pay for it. I don't know what to do, Camila."

        "We can get through this together, Lauren. I'm sure this can get worked out somehow, whether it be me yelling at my mom to get her to keep paying for your services, or helping you find a new job. We can do this. If worse comes to worst, you can just live here with me without charge. Like, you could live here permanently if you wanted. I can afford it for the both of us. Then you literally can work for free." Camila explained.

        "Thank you, Camila. I honestly don't know what I would do without you." Lauren replied.

        Camila pulled Lauren in a warm embrace, and she reciprocated it. Lauren felt her kiss the top of her forehead, which brought the wonderful, tingly feeling back through her body. They stayed in the position for about five minutes, and then decided to continue on with the puzzle.


	12. Chapter Eleven

        "Mom! She didn't actually mean she'd do it for free! This is her job, and it is the only way she can afford her house and expenses! Lauren was using an expression to show how much she loved working for me!" Camila yelled to her mother, who was on the other line of her phone call. "Fine! Bye!"

        Camila hung up her phone in a fit of rage, and Lauren pulled her into a hug to comfort her. To her best understanding, Lauren only assumed that Sinu had made her decision final about cutting her payments. At this point, the only thing Lauren could do was sell her house and stay there with Camila until she found another job, unless Camila wanted her to stay there permanently. Lauren wouldn't mind being there forever, since Camila brought her all the joy and happiness that she would ever need.

        The two pulled apart from each other, and Lauren said, "I guess that means I'll be staying here."

        Camila gave a slanted face and replied, "That's what seems to be happening. I really wouldn't mind it if did stay. Although, I really must apologize for my mother's words and actions. It was extremely rude for her to start an argument with me while you were here. I'm truly sorry Lauren, I really am."

        "It's totally okay, Camila. Why don't we go out somewhere tonight? Are you up for it? I think we just need to get out of the house for a little while to take a breather." Lauren said.

        "Well I definitely agree that we both need a break from all this and need a night out. You know what I've always wanted to do that my mother would never even think to let me do?"

        Lauren gave Camila a bewildered look and responded, "What might that be?"

        "I want to go out to a club or something fun like that. My mom thinks that I'd be irresponsible to go to one, and well, I don't suppose I'm under her rule any longer."

        "Camila, don't take this the wrong way, but I kind of agree. I mean, I don't think you're irresponsible, but what do you plan on doing at a club?"

        "You know, what everyone else normally does. I want to dance!" she answered excitedly. 

        "Do you even know how to dance? And wouldn't you hurt your arm dancing?"

        "My arm will be fine if I'm careful. And no, I can't dance, but do you know the expression 'dance like nobody is watching?' Well, I figured that I would enjoy dancing because I'm blind. How can I know if anybody is watching if I can't look to see if they are?"

        Lauren replied, "That's very... insightful, Camila. I never thought you would ever insult your non-ability to see."

        "There's two types of people in this world, Lauren. The ones who complain about what they're stuck with, and the others like me who accept it and live life to the fullest. Even though I can't see, that doesn't stop me from being able to have fun. Let's go to the club, Lauren! Come on!" Camila said enthusiastically.

        "Alright, Camila. I'll take you to a club tonight. Just don't have too much to drink, okay?"

        "Of course, I'm not that stupid. Plus, I've never had alcohol, and all that I ask is that you let me try some tonight. Like, come on, I'm twenty-five and I've never had anything to drink!" 

        "Sure." Lauren answered with a nod, unsure of how good of an idea this whole club thing was. "Now, we should probably start getting ready."

        As she said this, Lauren glanced down at herself to see that she was still in her pyjamas from rushing to Camila's in the storm. She remembered that she didn't have any clothes with her, then she looked up at Camila.

        "Camila, I just remembered that I don't have anything with me. My clothes are all at my house, as well as my make-up. Should I stop there on the way to dinner?" Lauren asked.

        "I was actually hoping that you could make me look nice for the club at your house. Like, let me borrow something to wear? Maybe even do my make-up for me? I can't exactly do stuff on my own, you know."

        Lauren agreed to Camila's request, then she grabbed her keys and brought Camila out to the car. When they were both successfully buckled in, Lauren put the keys in the ignition to start the car, then backed out into the street. 

        During the whole ride, they both jammed out to whatever was playing on the radio. They sang along to every song that they knew, and had a great time without even being at the club yet. Camila sang along without a care in the world, while Lauren thought to herself the whole time. Usually, she would be singing along much more and would be admiring Camila's raspy voice, but her mind was too far set on whether or not this was going to be a good idea.

        Clubs were bad news to Lauren, since she has had bad experiences with them in the past. She remembered taking her old friend Alexa to a club on her twenty-first birthday, and they had gotten completely wasted. Alexa was drunk enough to leave Lauren at the club alone while she went off somewhere with a random stranger. When Lauren had calmed down enough to go look for her, it was too late, and she had discovered that her best friend had been murdered by the guy she went off with. She didn't want that to happen to Camila. Not her.

        "Lauren? Are you okay? You're not singing. Do you not know the song?" Camila asked, snapping Lauren out of it.

        "No, I do. I'm just thinking."

        "What about?"

        "It's just... I don't know if I should take you to the club tonight. I've had a bad experience in the past at a club, and I guess I'm just not feeling ready to go back. One of my old best friends was murdered when she got drunk and went off with a random guy she didn't know. I don't want to lose you in that same way." Lauren explained to Camila.

        "I'm sorry, Lauren. I shouldn't push you to take me somewhere that you're uncomfortable going to. Maybe we could just hangout here at your house tonight? I wouldn't mind. Plus, I've never been to your house." Camila smiled.

        Lauren returned the smile and replied, "Thank you for understanding. We can do that. And if you'd like to try drinking alcohol, I would mind having a couple drinks with you here. I'm not exactly worried that a stranger will come into my house and kill you, so it'll be fine if you have a few."

        Camila nodded as they finally pulled into the driveway at my house. Lauren turned off the car and pulled her keys out of the ignition. The two of them unbuckled, then Camila waited for Lauren to come around to her side of the car so she could lead her to the house. After opening the car door, Camila reached for Lauren's hand that finally slipped into hers a second later. When Camila was out of the car, Lauren shut the door and led her to the front door of the house. With her free hand, Lauren chose the house key to unlock the door, then walked into the house with Camila right behind her.

        Together, they went into Lauren's kitchen and Camila sat down at the table like Lauren had instructed her to. Lauren went through her refrigerator to find a couple bottles of red wine, which would probably be more than enough for tonight. She grabbed one of the bottles and placed it on the table, then went into one of her cupboards and picked up two wine glasses to place them next to the wine on the table.

        After opening the new bottle of wine, Lauren poured a full cup for her and a much smaller amount for Camila in the case that she didn't like it. She slid the cup over to Camila, who reached for the cup after hearing the sliding noise. 

        "I put a little in your glass in case you didn't like it." Lauren explained.

        Camila nodded then took a sip of the cool red wine, with Lauren watching her as her soft, pink lips pressed against the edge of the wine glass. A small smile was drawn onto Camila's face as she quickly finished the remainder of the red wine. She placed the glass down on the table, then slid it back over to Lauren.

        "I'm only going to assume that you want some more?" Lauren questioned Camila.

        She smiled, then nodded. Lauren poured Camila a full glass this time, then slid the wine over to her. When Camila had acknowledged the fact that there was another glass of the delicious wine in front of her, Lauren was finally able to take a seat and enjoy her red wine as well. After they had both finished at least two full cups, Camila was starting to feel the beginnings of getting tipsy. This became obvious to Lauren, who could only guess that Camila was a light drinker.

        "Am I supposed to feel a little more mellow than usual?" Camila asked.

        Lauren giggled a little then responded, "Yes. You're beginning to get tipsy. Maybe we should stop before you actually get drunk."

        "Lauren, we're the only ones in the house. It's not like we're going anywhere, so who cares if we get drunk or not? I'm in, if you are."

        "I don't know, Camila." she answered.

        Camila brought up the excellent point, "We've been stressed, so I think it might be a good idea to forget about it for a night. Don't you think so?"

        Lauren looked up at Camila and responded, "I'm in."

        After the two bottles of red wine were empty, Camila was completely wasted while Lauren was only half-drunk from being a heavy drinker. The two of them went into the living room, where they started to have some pretty hysterical conversations.

        "Sooo... What's your favorite color?" Camila slurred.

        "Twenty-seven." Lauren giggled. "What's yours?"

        "Pizza." she laughed.

        "Wait, sorry. I forgot that you couldn't see colors. What color is pizza?"

        "What kind of color is twenty-seven?" Camila countered.

        "Good point."

        Even though Lauren was half-drunk, she was still able to control herself somewhat. Although she couldn't avoid thinking that twenty-seven was a color, she still had some logical thinking left. Since she currently had no filter for the words that she spoke, she knew that the truth always came out when you were drunk, which made her ask a question that she was dying to know the answer to.

        "So, Camila. Do you like me?" Lauren asked.

        Camila giggled, "Of course I do, silly. I would have scared you off already if I didn't."

        "No, I mean do you like, like me?"

        "Obviously! You haven't picked up on the signs?" she laughed.

        With a puzzled look, Lauren responded with the inability to ask a straight forward question, "Signs? Like, street signs?"

        "No! Silly Lauren! I've been showing you all along. That's why I asked you if we were a thing last night! Duh!" Camila continued to laugh hysterically, which caused Lauren to laugh a little as well.

        "Remind me why we aren't a thing?"

        "The person you like! Who is it anyways?!" she smirked at Lauren.

        Lauren face-palmed and said, "It's you! It's always been you!"

        She knew that neither of them were going to remember one word of this in the morning, so Lauren didn't mind the fact that she told Camila the truth now.

        "Oh! Wow, am I blonde or what?!"

        "You're a brunette." Lauren giggled.

        Camila smiled, then leaned in to placed a soft kiss on Lauren's neck. Lauren reached up to caress the delicate skin on Camila's cheek, and Camila did the same to her. At the same time, they both leaned in for a passionate kiss, which turned out to be more than just one. They began to fall deeper and deeper into the kiss, letting themselves continue this motion freely. Camila's good hand moved from Lauren's cheek to the back of her head, where she grasped onto some of Lauren's hair without pulling too hard. Lauren moved her hand away from Camila's cheek and snaked her arms around her waist while being careful not to hurt her arm, causing the kiss to grow stronger.

        When Camila moved on to kissing Lauren's neck, Lauren moaned with pleasure. With her one working arm, Camila slowly moved her hand to the rim of Lauren's pyjamas that she had stayed in all day. It was then that Lauren regained enough consciousness to stop Camila by placing her hand on hers. This caused Camila to give Lauren a puzzled look.

        "Is something the matter, Lauren?" she asked.

        It took Lauren a moment to collect her thoughts before she answered, "This is something I would rather do with you when you're sober. Even then, I don't think I'm ready to go that far yet. We aren't even a thing yet. I really do like you a lot, Camila, but I want our first time to be right, not when we're drunk and can't remember it the next morning."

        "Okay, can I just go to sleep now? I'm quite tired." Camila asked with a heavy slur. 

        "Sure. Let me carry you." Lauren said.

        Camila held her good arm out to Lauren, and she was lifted up in a warm and comfortable hold from Lauren. Carefully, Lauren brought her to her own room that was down the hall, then placed Camila gently down on the bed. Due to her experiences in the past dealing with her drunk friends, Lauren was able to pick someone up without dropping them when drunk. She pulled the covers over Camila and made sure she was comfortable. Then she grabbed an extra blanket and pillow from the side of the bed, since she was sleeping on the couch. As she was about to shut the lights off, she was halted by Camila's tiny, squeaky voice.

        "Are we a thing now, Lauren?"

        Lauren just smiled, then responded, "Maybe. We'll talk about it when you're sober, okay?"

        "Okay, Lauren." she answered, then paused. "I think I love you, Lauren."

        "Camila, you don't know what love is."

        "That's right." Camila paused. "Am I getting a kiss goodnight?"

        Lauren walked over to Camila's bedside, then placed a small peck on her forehead. 

        "Goodnight, Camila." Lauren smiled.

        "I meant on the lips, gorgeous." she giggled.

        "Maybe when we're a thing. Our next kiss will be when we're both sober."

        Camila just nodded, then adjusted herself so she was comfortable. Lauren shut off the light in the room, then made her way over to the living room couch where they just had their make out session. She placed the pillow on the end of the couch, then shut off the living room light. After laying down on the couch, she covered herself with the blanket. 

        As Lauren was about to go to sleep, a single tear shed from one of her eyes. The last thing she thought about before drifting off into a deep slumber was the fact that this all just happened when they were drunk. Would it happen if they were sober?


	13. Chapter Twelve

        The next morning, Lauren woke up with a slight hangover and full memory of what had happened last night. At first, it seemed like a dream to her, but she later realized that it was true that she had kissed Camila again. With high hopes that she would remember what had happened last night, Lauren decided that she would make Camila some breakfast in bed. She was going to make bacon, eggs, toast, and a nice glass of orange juice for her.

        After the twenty-five minutes it took her to prep the breakfast, she set it all up on a tray and took it off to her room where Camila had slept. When she arrived to the room, she saw Camila sitting upright in bed rubbing her temples to help relieve her hangover. Hers was probably much worse than Lauren's, considering how much of a light drinker she was.

        "Camila." Lauren said in a soft voice. "I made you some breakfast in bed."

        "You did? What did you make? Because I smell bacon, eggs, and toast. Possibly orange juice on the side?" she guessed, much to Lauren's surprise.

        "Yeah." Lauren paused. "How did you guess?"

        "I can smell it." she giggled.

        Lauren giggled a little too, then placed the tray of food in front of Camila on her lap. As she began to eat, Lauren sat on the other side of bed and admired the other girl as she ate. She really did want to know if Camila remembered last night, but she decided to bring it up when her hangover had subsided. When Camila had stopped eating, Lauren was caught off guard.

        "Is something the matter, Camila? Is my cooking bad?" she questioned.

        Camila shook her head and replied, "I was just thinking. What happened last night? Did I have a good time?"

        "I... I would say so. Do you remember anything from last night?"

        She shook her head again, then asked with a smirk, "Could you enlighten me?"

        An enormous smile grew on Lauren's face as she realized that Camila had remembered, then she replied, "You remember, don't you?"

        Camila shook her head up and down, then began to lean in towards Lauren as she did the same. Their lips touched and electrifying shivers were sent down each other's spines. Lauren placed the palm of her hand on Camila's cheek to prolong the kiss a little longer, then they both pulled apart and smiled at each other.

        "I think we can agree that we're a thing now?" Lauren asked Camila.

        She responded, "I think so too. Now what was that code that you went by that prevented us from being together?"

        "It's stupid now that I think about it. When you're a nurse, it's extremely illogical for you to date your patient in any case. It's a thing that I was told during college that kind of stuck with me." 

        "Well, you're not my nurse anymore. You were pretty much fired, I guess. Even though you still want to help me out, you won't have to do it as a nurse, but as a girlfriend." Camila smiled.

        Lauren smiled too, then placed a small peck on her cheek. The word 'girlfriend' made butterflies erupt in her stomach, and she honestly couldn't be happier with how this whole situation turned out. Lauren did expect for Camila to remember a thing about last night, considering how hammered she was. This struck an idea for Lauren's next topic in the conversation.

        "How much do you exactly remember from last night?" she asked.

        Camila thought for a few seconds, then replied, "I remember the kiss, when we told each other that we liked each other, and that's about it. Honestly, that was all I cared to remember. The rest is all a blur. Except I do recall that you told me that your favorite color was twenty-seven?"

        They two erupted into laughter as they remembered that moment of their conversation that night. When they had settled down, Camila went back to eating the breakfast that Lauren had made her. It took her about five minutes to engulf the entire plate of food and orange juice, then Lauren took the empty tray back into the kitchen to allow for Camila to get out of bed. After placing the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, Lauren returned to the room to help Camila get back out to the living room.

       Camila stumbled around everywhere due to the pain of her hangover, but managed to get onto the couch without falling flat on her face. When they sat on the couch comfortably, Camila began to rub her temples to help calm her headache. Lauren took note of this, then got up to go to the kitchen, where she got two Aspirin pills and a glass of water to help treat Camila's headache. She walked in to the living room again, then handed the glass and pills to her, and she gladly took them. After popping both pills into her mouth, Camila took a good sip of water and got them down her throat. 

        "Thank you, you're the best." Camila smiled.

        Lauren smiled back at her and replied, "It's no problem, really."

        Camila downed the rest of the water, then passed the glass off to Lauren, who decided to place it down on the coffee table for now. They both allowed themselves about ten minutes of quiet time so they would be able to let Camila's Aspirin start taking effect. She cuddled up to Lauren, then ended up passing out on her lap minutes later. Lauren repeatedly ran her fingers through Camila's long, brown, wavy hair as she let herself drift off into a sleeping state. 

        The girls had only been napping for twenty minutes when they were awoken by a knocking on the door that sounded like loud thunder. Both of them covered their ears to help block out the sound, then Lauren got up and went to go see who it was. She opened the door to reveal a small, Latina girl with light brown hair and brown eyes. The girl was very pretty, Lauren thought, even though she didn't compare to her Camila.  _Her_  Camila.

        "Hi, I'm Ally. I've just moved in next door with my roommates Dinah and Normani. We were planning on having a dinner party tonight, and we wanted to invite our new neighbors over if you would like to come. You can bring your friend too." she greeted Lauren with a smile.

        "It's nice to meet you, Ally! I'm Lauren, and that's my girlfriend Camila." Lauren returned a sweet smile. "I hope same-sex dating doesn't creep you guys out or anything."

        "Not at all! We think it's rather cute, actually."

        Lauren giggled and said, "Another thing that you should know before we show up is that Camila is, well, blind. I just thought I would let you know that in case you were wondering why I'm going to guide her around your house."

        "That's totally fine, don't worry! Dinner will be done around six, so feel free to come over around four-thirty so we can get to know each other before we eat."

        "Okay, that sounds good." Lauren turned to face Camila, who was smiling in approval of the idea.

        "We live in the blue house right next door!I'll see ya'll then!" Ally said, then walked down the house's front path with a skip in her step.

        Lauren and Camila both thought that Ally was super nice, and they couldn't wait to meet Normani and Dinah. It would be nice for them to make some friends that weren't each other. Until dinner, the two girls decided to work on their auditions for ' _The Voice._ ' Since they didn't have the luxury of using Camila's music room right now, they resorted to the internet for instrumentals to their songs. After they had gotten and given some constructive criticism, they had improved their performances a ton. By the time they each had a turn, it was time for them to get ready for dinner.

        Since Camila didn't have anything to wear, Lauren let her borrow something of hers for the remainder of the day. Once they had their outfits put together, it was time for them to head over to Ally, Normani, and Dinah's house. Camila and Lauren intertwined their fingers together as they walked over to the gorgeous blue house that stood beside Lauren's. It was a very nice, modern house that was very well-sized for just three girls.

        When they arrived to the front door, Lauren knocked and they waited for someone to answer it. After about five seconds, a darker girl answered. This was either Dinah or Normani, since it definitely wasn't Ally. She was very pretty as well, and had straight, black hair and chocolate brown eyes. 

        "Hey! I'm Normani! You guys must be Lauren and Camila? Come on in!" she greeted them, as she held the door wide open for them to enter.

        As they entered, they took in the beauty of the inside of the house. Everything was modern, yet neat. All of the furniture appeared to be in matched sets, and it all seemed perfect to them. Normani led them into the living room, where Ally and a tall, gorgeous Polynesian girl sat around a table with various board games piled on top. The taller girl that must have been Dinah hopped up immediately and greeted Lauren and Camila with a smiled.

        "Yo! I'm Dinah! It's great to finally meet our new neighbors! We were thinking playing some board games, what do you guys like to play?"

        Lauren spotted the game called 'Yahtzee!' and replied, "I love playing 'Yahtzee!' What about you, Camila? What do you think?"

        Camila smiled and nodded in response, letting Lauren know that she had made a good choice. Even though she could see anything, she still played in the past when her parents would tell her what the outcome of the dice was. Dinah led them over to the table, where there were only two seats left for them. This was confusing to Lauren, who thought that this was a huge dinner party.

        After sitting, Lauren asked, "Are we the only ones coming?"

        "Yeah. The other neighbors were busy tonight, but that's okay. You guys seem to be our age, so maybe it turned out this way for a reason." Ally smiled.

       "Let's get this 'Yahtzee!' game started!" Dinah shouted as she took the cover of the box off and threw it behind her.

        Dinah was the exciting one, Lauren and Camila noted. She passed out the score cards and pencils to everyone that surrounded the table. There was only one pencil needed for Camila and Lauren, since Lauren would be keeping score for the both of them. Camila never learned to write, since she wouldn't be able to see anyways, which is why she learned braille.

        The game started off with Normani in the lead, but then turned around when Camila managed to get her 'Yahtzee!' plus another, which earned her tons of extra points. Camila ended up winning that game. In the second game, Lauren started off in the lead, but Ally soon pulled ahead for the win. After two games, the girls had quit playing and decided to sit on the couch to talk about each other.

        "So, my name is Normani Kordei Hamilton." she began to introduce herself to Lauren and Camila. "I'm twenty-six years old, and I'm currently working as a gymnastics teacher in downtown Miami. As a side job, I help put together plays and musicals with kids at the local YMCA. I'm dating a guy named Thomas, who just so happened to be Dinah's cousin."

        Lauren and Camila's heads turned toward Dinah, who then introduced herself, "I'm Dinah Jane Hansen, and I'm twenty-four years old. I work as a vocal coach in downtown Miami, which is a block away from Normani's gymnastics studio. Sometimes, I like to give piano lessons to those who want to learn that too. I'm dating this handsome man named Nela, who plays football. Ally?"

        Ally introduced herself, "And I'm Ally Brooke Hernandez, who you've already met. I'm actually twenty-nine years old, and I work as a cook at a catering business that also resides downtown. I'll have you know that I'm extremely religious, and I sing in the choir at my church. My boyfriend's name is Troy, who is actually a Youtuber. Do you have any questions for us?"

        "I have one." Camila started. "You guys all sing?"

        Ally, Normani, and Dinah all answered, "Yup!"

        "That's really cool. Lauren and I are also really into music. We're actually going to audition for ' _The Voice_ ' in three weeks." she smiled.

        The three girls jumped up at the same time, and Dinah shouted, "Hey! Us too! Let's do some karaoke or something!"

        Everyone agreed to the idea, and Camila informed them that she would need to pick an extremely familiar song so she'd be able to sing, since she couldn't see the lyrics on the screen. The five girls instantly bonded over music tastes, and got to know each other a lot better in the process. Dinah had an extremely strong and powerful voice that burst through the entire room, Normani had a softer voice and was able to hit extremely high notes, and Ally had a powerful voice that was soft at the same time.

        When everyone had realized that it was already eight o'clock, the three girls realized that the spaghetti and meatballs they had prepared was probably cold from sitting for so long, so they had to heat it up. As they ate the food that was now at good temperature, they talked about how they would all work together to make their auditions for ' _The Voice_ ' perfect for when they went in three weeks. Everyone promised to give constructive criticism to each other when they practices. They all agreed that they would start their hard work tomorrow after Ally had come home from church.

        Soon enough, Lauren and Camila had finished their meals and it was ten o'clock at night. The two of them had decided to stay the night at Lauren's house again so it would be easier for them to get to Ally, Dinah, and Normani's house tomorrow. It was getting pretty late anyways, and Lauren was too exhausted to drive.

        Before departing, the five girls exchanged goodbyes and hugs. This had been one of the best days of their lives, and Lauren couldn't have wished for a better girlfriend or a better group of friends.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

        "Lauren, my arm hurts." Camila complained to Lauren as soon as they arrived back at Lauren's house. "Could you have a look at it or something?"

        Lauren frowned, the answered, "Sorry, Camila. Unfortunately, it's going to be like for a while. You broke it in several places, so it's going to be pretty painful for a few weeks. It'll get better, I promise. For now, all I can give you is some Advil. It'll help you at least some."

        "It didn't hurt back at Ally, Dinah, and Normani's house though. Why is it hurting so much now?"

        "You were probably having too much fun to notice it." Lauren replied, logically. "Would you like some Advil?"

        Camila nodded, then Lauren went off to get two pills and a glass of water from the kitchen. When she returned, she placed the glass in one of Camila's hands and the pills in the other. After taking the pills and gulping down the water, she handed the glass off to Lauren, who placed it right beside the other empty glass from earlier. Lauren could sense that something else was bugging Camila, so she decided to ask about it.

        "Is something wrong, Camila?" she asked.

        Camila sighed, then responded, "Yeah. I've been thinking."

        "What about?"

        "Us. I'm having some second thoughts." Camila stated, with a frown.

        "What? Why? We just got together this morning. Shouldn't we give it a little longer?" Lauren questioned frantically.

        She thought long and hard before finally answering, "It's really not that at all. I want to be with you, I do. Unfortunately, I really think you deserve someone better. You and Dylan should be together, honestly. All our relationship would consist of is you taking care of me all the time, and I don't want to drag you down. If it's okay, could you bring me home tonight? If not, I understand that you're tired."

        "But Camila..." 

        "This isn't something I want to talk about, Lauren. My decision is final. I'm not going to drag you down that way, and I want you to date someone where you can equally take care of each other. I really am sorry, really. We can still be friends, but we just need some time apart. I know we've been through this already, but this time, I won't change my mind."

        Lauren was tired, but she knew that if she didn't bring Camila home tonight, things would get very awkward between them. She was so tired, in fact, that she hadn't even noticed what was happening. It was dangerous to drive drowsy, but at this point, she really didn't care anymore. 

        "I'll take you home, let's get going." she told Camila firmly, as she grabbed her car keys off of the coffee table.

        Camila nodded, then grabbed Lauren's free hand to be guided out of the house. After they walked out of the house and shut the door behind them, Lauren led the smaller girl to the car and helped her get in, then did the same for herself. She stuck her car key into the ignition, then twisted it to start the vehicle. To avoid any conversation, Lauren turned the radio on to keep her mind off of the mini fight that she had gotten into with her now ex-girlfriend, Camila. 

        The whole ride to Camila's was dark, cold, and awkward. As much as she wanted to beg for her ex to change her mind, she knew that she was stubborn and wouldn't change her mind no matter what Lauren had to say. Camila's mind was like a stone that wouldn't budge. Soon enough, Lauren had pulled up to the curb that sat in front of Camila's house. It was time for them to say their goodbyes. 

        Lauren turned to face Camila, then asked, "Do you need me to walk you to the door?"

        "No! Only do things when I ask you to! I will call if I need you." Camila snapped.

        Without a word, Lauren watched Camila as she got out of the car on her own and made way to her front door carefully. When the door shut behind the blind girl, Lauren sat for a second wondering if she would ever be with her again, or if she'd even ever see her again. As she pulled away from the curb, she began to let the tears that she had been bottling up pour out of her tear ducts.

        Due to her teary eyes and over tiredness, Lauren constantly swerved on the road. She began to think about whether or not she should have just stayed in, instead of recklessly driving Camila home. Before the small fight she had with Camila, she had planning on crashing on the couch again. 

        Lauren didn't think Camila understood how much she was hurting right now. The only reason she wasn't showing it as much was because of her tiredness. All of the pain would be likely to hit her with full force in the morning. Tiredness... What if Camila was making unclear decisions based off of the fact she was tired? Probably not, since she seemed to know what she was talking about. After all, this had happened before. Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud, abrupt sound of a car horn honking. 

        When she had looked up, all she had time to notice was two bright headlights flashing right in front of her eyes. Lauren was so tired, that she had swerved completely onto the wrong side of the road. She tried to get back into her side of the road, but it was too late, and her car collided head-on to the other vehicle. Her car's whole front was demolished from the impact, and the car was sent spinning off of the road. Since Lauren was wearing her seat belt, she was kept from flying through the windshield with the assistance of the air bag. In the process of being saved from going flying, the air bag and crash knocked Lauren out.

        Later, Lauren found herself laying lifeless, unable to open her eyes to see where she was. The only thing she could do was listen. She heart the sound of a heart monitor beeping at a slow pace and the sound of a door opening. This was a hospital, and Lauren remembered why. She was unaware of her injuries, as she couldn't feel a thing. The only sense she could use was her hearing.

        "Is she going to be okay?" Lauren heard a familiar, male voice say. It was Dylan's.

        "As of now, there is nothing that we can promise. The only thing we can surely say is that she is under a coma right now, and we aren't sure when she'll be waking up. She also has a broken collar bone, a few broken ribs, and a broken tailbone. It would be very painful if she were able to feel that right now. Only two of you may stay the night tonight, as there isn't much space in this room. The rest of you may sleep in the waiting room if you wish." a person that must have been the doctor said.

        Dylan responded, "I will stay in the waiting room. The girls can decide among themselves. As much as I'd like to stay in her with here, I have the feeling that you all have a closer bond to Lauren than I."

        "I will stay." a female voice that Lauren recognized as Ally's said. "Camila will you stay too? I think she would want you to be in her with her as well."

        Lauren was shocked by the mention of Camila's name. She was bewildered by the fact that she would come to see her after the falling out that they had a while ago. Of course she loved to hear that Camila came to be with her after her tragic accident, but she also didn't understand how she got there and what made her decide to come.

        "I agree with you, Ally. It probably would be the best thing for her if I stayed. Even if we are no longer together anymore, this whole situation as changed my outlook on things. I'm even beginning to regret everything that I had told her tonight, as I was not thinking clearly. So yes, I will stay here with Ally and Lauren." Camila's distinct, raspy voice said, making Lauren wish that she had the ability to smile.

        "Okay girls, Dinah, Normani, and I will stay out in the waiting room. Be sure to wake us up if there are any changes in Lauren's health." Dylan said.

        Foot steps, followed by the closing of the door sounded through Lauren's ears as she listened to what was going on around her. She was beginning to understand how Camila felt, well, not being able to see. Camila was able to feel, smell, talk, and walk; while Lauren couldn't. As she lay there, she heard Ally's soft voice praying to God that Lauren would wake up and have a quick recovery. 

        "Ally?" Camila asked.

        "Yeah, Camila?" she responded.

        "Would it be possible for me to have a few minutes alone with Lauren? I won't be too long, I promise. There's just some things between us that I had to get off of my chest." 

        "Of course. Don't say anything that you'll regret, because it's very possible to hear your surroundings when you're in a coma." Ally replied, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

        Lauren just waited for Camila to finally say something, since that's all she could do. As she waiting, she could hear the other girl sobbing uncontrollably. She knew that she was trying to hold in her tears, but of course that didn't have any affect. 

        "Lauren, I really do feel like I am the one at fault here. The doctor says that you were in an accident caused by exhaustion. This wouldn't have happened if I didn't break us up. You would have kept me at your house and we would have cuddled together on your bed all night long, because I wouldn't let you sleep on the couch. We would giggle over a few glasses of wine, and I would tell you that my favorite color is blue, which is stupid since I can't see anything anyways. The only time I actually see is when you kiss me. That's when I see the lightning, you know. I think it might be blue, or yellow, or white. How should I know? The lightning just never fades.

        "The reason I ended our relationship was because I was insecure of myself. I didn't think that I would deserve you. One of the few things I had told you was that you would always take care of me, and I would never have to do that for you. Now I see that I might. If you come out of this coma, Lauren, I will be your nurse. I'll be Nurse Cabello, and you'll be my Nurse Jauregui. I will make sure that you return to you former self the best that I can. If there's something that I can't do, our new friends will be there at the snap of our fingers. 

        "Honestly, Lauren, I'm just going to come out and say it. I don't want Dylan to have you, or Vero, or any of the silly people that you've ever liked. As selfish as it sounds, I want you all to myself. I want to hold you all night long and make everything okay as it was on the first day that I met you. Every day, I want to see the lightning that you've brought into my life. I want to do more puzzles with you, and listen to TV with you. I especially want to hear your perfectly toned, sweet singing voice that drives me crazy again.  I'd rather hear your voice reading to me, than listen to an audio book as well. Books really are my favorite thing, I suppose. Besides you of course.

        "I guess what I'm trying to say, Lauren, is that I love you like I've never loved anything or anyone before. I've never felt true love, and I've never actually known if I had it until now. What we have together is just so special, and I can't just throw that all away because I am insecure. I just want you to come back to me. Come back to me, and never leave me again. I promise to never push you away again, because I love you, Lauren." Camila finished, then went back to crying a pool of tears.

        Lauren so badly just wanted to hug Camila and never let her go. She wanted to tell her that she loved her too, and that she wanted things to go back to how they were before tonight. As much as she wanted to cry with Camila, and kiss her all over, she couldn't. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Lauren tried to scream Camila's name, but her throat wouldn't produce the sound, and her lips wouldn't part.

        As Lauren struggled through this hard time, she felt Camila place a soft kiss on her lips, bringing some feeling back into her body. The kiss was salty and wet from her tears, but it managed to help Lauren somehow. She didn't wake up from the coma, but some of her senses were yet again revived. Seconds later, there was a dead silence in the room and no one said a word. Lauren just hoped that she'd wake up soon to hold her Camila in her arms again.


End file.
